Just Note
by Agatha Molina
Summary: Deathgods stopped just playing cards and watching the world end by itself. Bored like Ryuk, who went to the Human World just to play with society, a shinigami looked like a real woman enter into the Human World to do whatever she wants, and the people she gets involved is a man called Mihael Keehl. How can a person fit in society out of nowhere, without detectives question itself?
1. What I've Made

**Being a Shinigami is as boring as living in an empty room. Many of us try to accept it and end spending the rest of their misery playing cards, killing humans from the portals just to enlarge their boredom, or create useless things that we, death gods, wouldn't ever use.**

 **Some minimal part of these creatures doesn't accept this situation for their whole life. I've seen many ways to enjoy the living and be close to be proud of being alive. Feel that they are alive lives, and not just some sack of flour wandering in a dead realm. Others, just wanna see the world burn. They weren't satisfied to the fact we are gods, but the God. Something that would change the human's life forever.**

 **Who am I? My name is Mileena. I will tell the story of a little shinigami called Sherazade Kore. Not much about her that would be unlike any other shinigami. However, this death god, who was really close to the Shinigami King, was one of the unacceptable boredom ones.**

 **The curiosity of how an anthill works make some people wish they were tiny as an ant to see it closely. Father granted to her, but with one condition.**

 **Us.**

* * *

"Irin, I wanna tell you something." Sherazade sang loudly. All the shinigamis looked to her for a moment, until a gray one appear in front of her. "Stop playing a little, please."

"What do you want? Can't I even win one miserly time?" The fox pelted shinigami dropped the cards to the others annoyed, and got up. "Just because you're a half human doesn't mean you should annoy like one!"

"Okay, okay, okay. Enough chit chat. I just want to tell you that... I am leaving this place." Sherazade smiled as she showed her white dress that she received from her father. Irin didn't understand its purpose, but let it go.

"To the Human World?"

"Of course. I am tired of being here. It's quite boring! And now that I have my human part, I can go and enjoy a little bit."

"I knew it wasn't a good idea! You shouldn't be so crazy...but what are you thinking to do there?" Irin looked at the dimensional sphere that used to take creatures through the worlds. It has been a long time Irin didn't see someone using it closely. Sherazade put her hand on the head, thinking how to explain the plan.

"Well, you know what Ryuk is doing now, right?"

"Kind of, I guess... Why?"

"He made the Human World such a lively place...and what I wanna do is participate… Of course not like a child with a stick on an anthill, I have a plan." Sherazade smirked.

"Hm. Should I report the old one about what you just decided?" He sighed and lowered his head to look at her eyes."I am afraid of your actions."

"Don't be stupid, Irin. I am not going to kill you." The brunette turned her back angrily. "You may go back to your monotonous life again while I live a little bit."

Irin looked at his cards for the last time, and for the second time, sighed. "Calm down, just say what you're gonna do."

Sherazade showed a happy reaction to his healthy interest, putting her arms on her hips. Not that she could say he was approving something. Maybe she wasn't serious enough like an ordinary shinigami, but surely she was more sensible than an ordinary human to create hopes that anything would be accepted by the death's society just because her best friend asked about.

"I marked a human to be the spotlight, so I am gonna follow him in a certain way... socialize and meet other people, and be a human! I chose carefully, taking care of any detail..."

*Flashback*

"Uhnn... 20 humans to choose... I'll use the best human way to make decisions. Eenie, meenie, miney , moe..."

*End of Flashback*

"And like this I chose this human that names himself Mihael Keehl…"

Irin couldn't contain his little laugh even when he was trying to convince her staying.

"You know that I don't care who you're going to drive crazy… But I will not save you or fool the king again for your sake."

"Irin..." Her arm landed to his monstrous neck and looked to the reptile eyes that he had, if it could be described as something from the Human World. "You don't seem to ever understand us."

"Us? Who is us?"

"Us. The human beings"

Irin laughed louder and longer. "You really don't understand what you are getting into, but, if you are so sure, that's fine. The humans are all the same..."

Sherazade looked at the clock next to the black pillar and she walked back. "Well, it's late. I should go." Sherazade smiled and closed her eyes."Humans waiting for me, you know."

The shinigami widened its eyes. Didn't say anything, and just walked away. She waved to him and spread the black wings, jumping into the gray portal that led to the west Earth.

Since the change with the King, she would never be a total shinigami. Her mates didn't treat and look at her the same way. Maybe that was fear of the unknown, or just prejudice. Would be the human in the Shinigami Realm, and the shinigami in the Human World. But with a difference, she looked like a human. Any human could see her when she was without wings. She was shinigami inside, being human physically...and maybe psychologically.

The wind of kilometers high from the ground felt warm and bright. The sunshine reflected in her skin, something that never would be ever felt on her dark home world.

After some time flying, the woman arrived in a hotel room. Changed her white dress that she hate for a black leather jacket and jeans. Put the white dress in her blue bag with aggressiveness. The dress has never being discarded by the only reason that would become invisible with her, and visible again when she was. If she didn't have it, people would see clothes flying away. It wouldn't be as easy to explain or hide like Ryuk's flying and eating apples.

The room was quiet. So quiet that her boots were the loudest noise and so dark that nobody could see her long dark hair there. She was waiting for someone. Read magazines she had about politics and a Hello just to kill time that left. Just found amusing how people cared about other people's life.

She was anxious.


	2. Who Are Them

The silence was broken by a knock in the door, then a men dressed black entered in the room.

"You may enter." Sherazade dropped the magazine and stood up, hiding her bag behind the legs.

"Miss, he's here." The man stood up for some seconds, waiting for her response.

"Uhn… Let's go." Sherazade had the company of two bodyguards. She thought it was too much, but the orders from Near was higher than hers. At least, he let her choose who she'd stay with. Her trust was more important than what was better. After all, could escape if she didn't accept and for sure, didn't accept Near, even with her facts.

After leaving the elevator, arrived in the reception, and the first thing noticed was a blond man holding a motorcycle helmet and a gun. The only thing that really mattered was the "Mihael Keehl" written in red above his head. Sherazade came up and he froze for a moment. He didn't know it was an adult, but a girl like Near described. He turned and ordered her to follow him and let a low sigh out. When they left the hotel, stopped and turned again, just to see if there was anyone following them. Fortunately, there wasn't anyone suspect, one less thing to worry about. The woman looked around a bit, breathing and feeling the warm of the cities. Mihael didn't care how much strange she was appearing as she circled her field of vision. Ordered her to got up on the motorcycle, and then did the same.

Soon, they arrived in a high building. He made her got up the stairs, because apparently, there wasn't any working elevator. Mello was getting up very faster, while she was in a difficult situation, standing up with the high heels. Mello found it amusing, and Sherazade realized it.

"What are you looking at? Enjoying my misery?"

"A little..."

She took the advantage that he stopped to go the fastest as she could, until he lose her in his view. Then, she flew through the steps for more five floors.. When Mello found her, he was all sweat and breathless.

"Who's laughing now?"

He just looked her with disproving face and they entered in the apartment. There was a man playing video games, but he just turned back to see her when realized that there was a woman.

"Matt, she's Shena. She'll stay with us for a while." Matt gazed the woman for two seconds and went back to his video game.

"Ok." He acted so simply that they doubt that he understood. Anyway, took her to the corridor, darker than the room, that would be already disappeared if there wasn't a real friendly chandelier. He entered in the room at right, inviting her to come in too. It was a morbid bedroom, not ugly, but dark. The lighter color was the red cover of the bed, and maybe something in the bookcase.

"So... This is where we are going to sleep."

"We?"

"Yeah..." The blonde bit the chocolate bar he had in his jacket and prepared to leave.

She put her blue bag next to the door.

"Any reason for that?"

Mello got bothered and sighed.

"The only reason you are in this place, is because you needed protection and supervision. Nights are long"

It was supposed to be funny, but he stood serious. His voice was harsh. Left to let her unpack her things and put in the wardrobe. She could make fun of his clothes in her mind while she opened it. By the way, she had almost the same number of clothes than he had, being all hers in her Marc Jacobs bag. It could surprise anyone. He was already working when she finished, and was listening to Misa's conversations, hoping her to not think he was a stalker, even if what she thinks didn't matter. What he didn't know was that as realized nobody was there to give any attention, Shena was already gone. Went for a walk, to try being as normal as a human.

* * *

Three hours were enough to him, being as annoyed as hell by the low QI chat of Misa. He was completed in a bad mood, going to his bedroom and laid in the bed, with his favorite tranquillizer, a sweet chocolate bar.

"Is Shena like Misa? Stupid like her? No, if she came from Wammy's, must be smarter." He started to travel in his own thoughts for something like one hour. Even if he didn't know much about Sherazade, the profile he created upon his meeting earlier was good enough to test it.

After sometime, he realized that she wasn't there.


	3. Falling Asleep On a Stranger

While Mello despaired about her whereabouts, Shena turned back to the apartment, when an eight year old girl pointed to her.

"Look, mommy!" A little girl with a red Barbie shirt screamed to her mother, making her listen.

"What, Amanda?"

"That woman!"

Shena froze.

"What? Me?" The little girl didn't listen to her question and kept talking.

"That woman looks like my doll Rose!"

Her mother rolled her eyes.

"Yeah? Great, carry on."

She forgot it and carried on too. When arrived in the building, flew to the floor. She'd not be so stupid to waste time in the stairs. Saw Mello in his mood, and when he saw her, shouted.

"Where the hell were you, woman?!"

"I was here. You need to relax." Shena laughed a little.

"..." He let this pass and laid, this time, definitely to relax and forget about worries and stupidities of the day.

The dark side of the day started to appear slowly. Mihael was still in bed looking at the ceiling, while the orange pigment of the sunset disappeared. Sherazade was sat on the chair, watching him and analyzing what she was doing. Maybe it was more dangerous than she was thinking. "What am I doing...? I don't feel well here. Maybe Irin was right, I shouldn't have changed everything... No, if I haven't done it, I'd hate myself forever...I'm not going to die anyway..." Maybe.

"What?"

The woman blinked strongly and got back from her thoughts and realized she was still looking to him. Disguised it.

"Uh... Nothing. I am just... bored..."

He got up and took his jacket and helmet.

"So, let's go out... I don't know...Go somewhere."

She got up too and in front of the wardrobe, she took some clothes and dressed up again in the bathroom. Mello just rolled his eyes and sighed. Checked his outfit and hair in the mirror. It was all messy by the pillow, but he didn't really care. It was a long time it wasn't cut, so it was longer than ever. Shena tried to do the same thing Mello did, opening the jacket a little bit and messing the hair. It was a half open jacket. Latex maybe. And probably just with a bra under it. Blue pants, but it seemed black. The boots were the same black and high heels that probably would not be able to run like a normal human being. The blonde stopped staring at her, that had already noticed and waited for him to call.

"Go?" After that, he didn't look to her anymore. It was just the shock of the moment. As usual, went up on the motorcycle, but something changed too. Before, it was so fast that her hair lifted violently, now, the speed was subtle. In anyway, she was holding on him like the first time. He didn't care.

After sometime, they had already reached downtown. Talking a little and walking on the streets, finally he could know who she was, who he was getting into trouble with. Nothing of suspect he found on her, because could lie very well. However, her act wasn't the best, so she tried to change the topic every time it was required to lie harshly. Mello realized it, but he didn't press much. He thought something very bad must have happened to her at Wammy's and she didn't want to tell, at least not now. It wasn't even a day they met, not much he would learn about her.

"Where do you wanna go?"

"Anywhere..."Sherazade was still impressed by the amount of life around a small space. "I don't know anywhere around."

Mello didn't satisfy with this answer, so they entered in the first place they saw. It was a lively restaurant, with music and people. Almost a dance hall, if there was people actually dancing, and not just drinking. Shena was surprised by his choice, even if he didn't care where they were going.

While everybody, almost at eleven thirty, was exciting and happy, Mello was boring. Not that he didn't say a word, but the way he tried to entertain her was... just wrong. By her knowledge, she gave him alcohol, for survival reasons. After he went out of him, his drunk talk was hotter than his curiosity. He danced and hit on her sometimes, and she laughed a little bit and tried to follow his steps. After all, Shena knew what she had done.

Midnight arrived to people's watches, and they were already leaving downtown to her supposed home. The walk to the motorcycle was unstrained. Dark, silent and calm was the words to that night. Nobody but them were in the street. Mello was walking behind her, but stopped.

"What?"

With head down, he held her arm for a moment. She paralyzed, waiting for an action from him. Then, he pulled her waist to him, approached his face to her ear.

"I can't stand Matt's cigarettes."

Sherazade, annoyed, pushed him away and wrenched his helmet. They inverted places, put the helmet, just to be less weird the passenger wear helmet and the driver not. She went up on the motorcycle first, then he second, without protest, holding himself with the arms around her waist. While he was calm, she was all nervous of conduce a human vehicle, and just to worsen her situation, the clouds closed all the stars with a dark gray coloration, starting a thunderstorm.

It took long to reach the apartment, but luckily, didn't skid. She parked the motorcycle in the place of always and realized Mihael was asleep, what forced her to carry him to the room. She wasn't very happy. Not that he was heavy, but, helping wasn't her hobby, when she could be doing other things. Their wet clothes were possibly hurting his skin when she went up the steps. The leather wasn't helping. When finally arrived the floor and opened the door, Matt was waiting them like a mad wife waits the husband when delay.

"What happened?"A pause came. Shena tried to take her bangs from her face, still with Mello in her arms.

"He drank and passed out...and how you noticed, we got a sto-"

"Wait, he drank...alcohol?"

"Yeah, what's the problem?'

"He never drinks, the closest I've ever seen was he drugging himself with chocolate."

"O...kay...I am going to take him to the bedroom."

"Let me-"

"No, that's okay, no need to get wet with him, I already carried him here..."

She took him to the bedroom and sat him in the chair, then took a towel and started to dry him gingerly. Lock by lock of his hair she passed the towel until it be completely dry. After, she took his jacket and vest off to dry his body, but didn't dare touching his pants, for obviously reasons. He only couldn't get a cold. It would be strange of she don't know how to take care of a sick man, and face it, would be really boring for a host.

When he was ready to sleep, she changed her clothes for a pink lacy nightgown and laid him carefully. Stopped and sat next to him, looking to his face. Straighten his blond bang and laid on his side, in peace, and for the first time, fell asleep.


	4. The Waterfall

The day was strange. When Mello finally agreed to leave the apartment and hang out with her, another storm followed their steps. Actually, when they were going, on foot, the weather was acceptable, but then, the rain was so strong people couldn't even walk on the streets. He held her hand and started to run through the corners.

"I-I can't run this fast."

Her boots didn't allow her run as fast as he could again. Brilliant decision insisting on high heels. Happily, soon they reached an awning, in front of an open warehouse. Mello was sharing his red coat with her, even with her refusing. He was responsible for her, and wouldn't have time to take care of a cold, just like she would like if he was sick from last night. Knocked the open gate and waited some seconds. There wasn't anyone, so it wouldn't make difference entering or not. They did.

"Seriously, these clouds are following me…" A little laugh escaped from him.

"Us... I told you this was coming, but no, you had to go to the drugstore." He looked at her bag. "After all, what did you buy, that I had to stay out from there?"

The shinigami hid her bag behind her.

"Uh, nothing special…"

He turned his back to her. "Calm down, I won't press you. What type of person do you think I am?" Looked at him while she stood quiet. "Gosh."

Shena relaxed and sat on a chair.

"Thanks, Mello."

"For what?"

"For not demanding me any information. I must imagine how strange must be living with a complete stranger."

"I don't really care. Actually, it's being pretty easy until now. You're healthy and didn't do anything stupid, unlike me."

He sat next to her and looked to the ground. The blonde was disappointed to his yesterday's act, and how influence she has got from him. Normally, he'd influence someone to do the things he asked. She was on top of him.

"Nah, you guys must be always committing these things, don't you?"

He felt insulted. Calling an action of his "stupid" wasn't the best feedback... and confort.

"I am not proud."

"Ok..." He turned his face to hers, looking to her strange expression, while she stared at his eyes.

"What?" She realized she was staring at him again, but didn't disguise.

"Your eyes are beautiful."

He blushed, and his eyes closed.

"It's a long time since I last heard something like this... I don't know how to react."

He hid his red face and put a hand on his scar, don't looking at her. She got confused, until she realize how unpresentable she was. Her clothes were just getting colder, and glued to her skin.

He went to the opposite side of the warehouse and took his coat off. Tried to dry a bit and then stretched his arm with it to her.

"Take it, I don't want you to get sick."

She didn't refuse this time, taking it quickly. There wasn't anything so terrible for her than not being conservative. In the world with the guys she had already met, her some woman side started to appear against her wants. Something she hated. Then, she blamed all the men in the world for something she had chosen.

"You may turn now."

He turned again, with his pride showing on his smile. The brunette was ashamed with his help.

"Anytime...If you're going to thank every time, it'd be the word you're going to use the most."

"Uh...I don't know, I kinda think-"

"Both of us know the answer, no need to say."

"Actually, I don't wanna be overprotected."

Mello got angry with her response.

"Right, so... You are here in this situation... and don't wanna be overprotected? Are you going to say why are you here?"

Shena knew he'd make this question after some chat. She wouldn't hide it forever, or just change the topic, something that run wasn't a way from this type of person that would notice if she tried to outmaneuver him. Just looked to the ground and started.

"What do you want to know?"

"I just wanna know why Near wanted so bad for you to stay in safety."

"Well, I didn't need all the scandal for this, I think they overreacted a bit...but... the problem is... some information from the institution leaked, and it's known by some Kira fans. There I am, one of the things they found was something about me. I don't have anything to do with you or L, but... they were after me."

"So what happened to you? Did they threaten you?"

"Yes, they did, but it didn't scary me, until they kidnapped me. They were quite idiots, so I could escape, but now I'm here. Sorry for the nuisance."

"No... I know how scary is being kidnapped. I guess I'm convincing myself that it may be actually needed." Let a sarcasm smile appear in the corner of his mouth. "Did they hurt you?"

"Look... I don't wanna talk about it." The goddess thought it was better to leave some mystery on the story, so she didn't even think of answering his last question. Seemed like he believed in her words, but at the same time, wouldn't waste a moment to even verify it.

He was starting to make an indifferent air. Their silence was weird. When someone was about to talk, gave up, letting the another one that called the attention awkward. Soon she realized he was freezing. Maybe he needed some cover as she did. His arms were crossed, and he tried to disguise his shivering. His hair was all down, like the day before, but seemed that it wouldn't dry easily like hers. Shena got closer to him and hugged him.

"Wh-what are you doing!?"

"I can see you're freezing. You need this too."

The blonde let her stay how she was, and put an arm around her back. His coat felt kind of comfortable, and she felt like she hadn't even walked some corners of a strong rain on high heels. Sherazade felt that he deserved a moment. He was just now paying attention to the rain. She didn't want to, but she had to break the silence to say.

"Don't you think it would be easier if you called Matt?"

Mello stood quiet, like or he didn't wanna get out of there so soon, or just couldn't believe he didn't even think of this before. He nodded.

"Let's get out of here. Gimme your phone."

Sherazade handed her cellphone to him. His expression was unreadable, so the shinigami didn't have sure if that was a good idea or not for him. Maybe the blonde didn't want to ask Matt something. When he described him in the day before, he told her he only was with him because Matt didn't get social life to occupy his time, so he'd be the best choice to order to do something. Not that it'd be the best work. By what she heard, Matt was now bragging himself about Mello's order. Then, he turned off and returned to her.

"Well, I think I'll have to bear Matt's ego now...he's coming."


	5. One Day Friend

Sherazade woke up earlier than anyone in the apartment. With no need to sleep, any try to more would be boring. No dreams and no advantages turned the activity a purely waste of time, so opened her eyes and got up slowly. She didn't have anything to do at six of the morning. Mello woke up the day before at eight, so probably was a routine. Matt would be late in any way. Time enough to learn something new. Happily, the city started to move enough at seven. Therefore, a break of probably two hours.

"Bye, Mihael. I'm back within some hours... I guess..." The brunette said before jumping from the apartment, dressing her jacket, pants, the damn boots and left the building. The sun was almost appearing in the sky, and the clouds twirled from purple to orange. It was just another beautiful view from the minor streets, almost nobody in the way while she walked. Of course, when arrived downtown, lots of people from all sides started to appear, always in a hurry and with head down. Probably no one realized how wonderful the day was in that moment.

She walked some squares, searching for something relevant, that could be used in her living, or just people to talk. Nobody seemed to be available to her, so the goddess entered in the library in front of her. If it was a huge book tore or a library, she couldn't say, but didn't matter. Wouldn't take any, by her inability to read multiple human languages well. It was disgraceful how a death god princess could understand any handwriting and language of her nation, but not one of the humans. At least she knew English, being one of the easiest and most useful idioms on Earth. Disgracefully, English wasn't even half of the signs and titles. Random ideograms and drawing, behind some alphabet literally from the other side of the world.

Entering the place and starting to look around, noticed how big it was. Many shelves full of the most varied books of all genres. Impressive, even for her. If she could just know what they were teaching, or telling. Shena took one and tried to read the cover. There was a photo of a man in white holding a red spoon, so probably it was from the culinary section. Her expression turned confused, until someone touch her shoulder.

"Hey."

She let a little scared scream out of her, but calmed when saw just a young person turned to her.

"Sorry, did I scary you?"

The brunette toughed her voice. "That was nothing."

Her expression became unreadable when realized it was a man. He started to stare at her and smile. His hair was black and kind of long. Not longer than Mello's, but not short. He was Japanese, or at least descendent, between eighteen and twenty-four years old. Exactly she couldn't say. "Ichiro Fushijima" was what was appearing above his head. Noticed that was staring, so started to talk.

"I see you're lost in this section..."

"No, I'm fine." Her voice was strong and, would have creeped many people out, but he insisted on staying there.

"Well, so could you please tell me what section this book is from?" Ichiro brightened his brown eyes as a smile appeared.

"From the culinary's."

"No, it's romance. Don't judge by its cover... Do you at least read Japanese?"

He didn't have any excuse for not suspecting this. She totally don't look like asian people. Maybe from one of the Americas, or Europe, but not from Asia.

"Okay, you caught me. But why these languages in New York?"

Ichiro laughed, while Sherazade hid her ashamed expression. Showing mistakes to a man was failure on everything. he seemed nice, but he still male.

"I'm Ichiro Fushijima. Nice to meet you… and you're certainly lost. I am sure you're not from here."

She greeted him, while tried to think in a name. She didn't ever think hard about it. Only in a nickname. Nobody in the world was called "Sherazade Kore", like no one had the name "Ryuk" or "Irin". "Shena" was just the standart from where she claimed to be from.

"Shelby Kore..." Turned to the other way while saying on a light sound.

"Shelby." Ichiro touched his lips while repeating. "I can help you if you want. I am no tourist guide but, I guess you don't even know where we are."

"I think I'll just go to somewhere else." She turned to leave, but he insisted.

"Do you wanna go out for a coffee? I'd not like to have a woman alone and totally lost in this city. It could be more dangerous than you think."

"Why every man I meet think I'm so defenseless? Like I need them" She thought. Reminded Mello, but totally didn't look like him. His hot smile didn't fit with Mello's cold eyes. In this aspect, she's stay with the freezing look. In anyway, Shena didn't have anything better to do at this hour of the morning.

"Okay." Sherazade gave him a fake smile, but endeavored to look realistic. They left the store and Ichiro led the way. Tried to hold her hand, but she didn't let, even with the excuse of many people around them. Walked not much, the streets looked clean of people. The concentration of mortals was gone. He tried to make her talk.

"So, what are you doing here alone?"

He would swallow anything, so she could tell half truth.

"Actually, I'm not alone. I'm with two men. They wanted me to live with them for some time."

"Well, why?"

"They're worried about me because of some things that were happening to me"

"Security problems?"

She indeed, looking to the ground.

"Looks like these guys really care about you."

"No, not so much. I don't even know them. It was all...my boss's idea."

At least this lie was easier to tell than the another one.

"Wow, what's your area? If your boss had to do this."

"Policial. It can be a dangerous area."

"Well, greeting from NY. Sure it isn't the safest place ever, but with Kira, everything is slowly calming down."

"Do you really think it's safer with Kira? He can kill all of us if he feels like!"

"But he won't. All he wants is a world without crime and violence. People now try their best be good. I really think who hurt you must have had his punishment."

Shena stopped talking. If they weren't Kira fans, or just existed. Just made a signal of negation and continued walking. Ichiro noticed her silence after that, and tried changing the topic.

"Well, I'll be a police officer too. I wanna follow my father's steps. Maybe you could give me some tips about it."

"I don't think I'm the right person... I'm a detective. Why can't your father?"

She thought could be easier to tell an occupation that was near here. She lived with two. One more than other, but they were.

"He... is dead."

She tried to look like shy. People must feel shy when they regret a death. One think that should figure out. She was a death god, the death was the most common thing in her world.

"I'm...sorry..."

"No problem. We arrived."

They reached a calm street, with the cafe he promised. Again, he led the way to a table. Not like a Starbucks shop, larger, at least the outside's. Ichiro was a gentleman, pulling the chair for her to sit, and just after sit down.

"So, how's your living with two men that you never seen protecting you?"

"Until now, boring. I have to sleep with one of them."

"Did you tell your boss?"

"From what I know, snoring madly isn't a crime...yet."

"Oh"

Didn't understand, but let it go. She looked at the menu like him. Eating wasn't her forte, saying that was "materia entering in you". She just didn't like doing things that wouldn't provide anything. In name of her human disguise, ordered some fries, while he ordered a big sandwich and coffee, that in no time had already reached they table.

"So, what have you already seen in here?"

"Not much. They aren't from here either, and they're working in an investigation..."

"Would you like me to show you around? I have much free time since I'm finishing everything." He bit the sandwich full of ketchup, and kept talking with his mouth red. "I am going back to Japan soon… On December."

Sherazade thought for a moment. It wouldn't be so bad, but the chances of Mello ruin everything were extremely high.

"I'd like to, but I can't promise. I know someone who wouldn't like."

"One of the two?"

"Yes, and the most extreme and... intense."

And like this they spent the morning, or at least it's beginning. Ichiro couldn't be nicer, with a friendly smile all the time and an interest on everything about her. It was not like her, that barely asked about him. He made her comfortable, unlike Mello.

"Do you want?"

Shena asked about her food. She had barely eaten, and was almost eight thirty. He nodded, so she stabbed some fries in her fork and slowly, gave it in his mouth. Blushed, and he laughed. She looked to his watch.

"I'm afraid I have to go."

"Already? It's not even nine!"

-"Mello..."Shena got up, but he made her stay for one more moment.

"Will I see you again?"

She paralyzed, then took his hand and wrote her number with a pen on his skin.

"Call me maybe."Ichiro smile even more, but soon disappeared when she turned and a blond man appeared in her front. Anyone could see he was furious, but his eyes weren't showing any expression.

"Uhnn...Mello...Hi."

She become shy and turned her face to somewhere else, not giving eye contact. He held her arm strongly.

"Where the hell were you, woman?!"

The Japanese got up, thinking that he was hurting her.

"Hey you! Let her go!"

Mello acted like he didn't hear him. His eyes found hers, and were challenging each others. The blonde pulled her outside the café and disappeared with her by the corner. Ichiro just saw Shena turn her head, looking at him for the last time before gone.


	6. Maybe He's Not Useless

The next day proceeded. Shena, instead of arguing and arguing with Mello, just listened his furious words. Wouldn't escape again, while he wasn't with her. He interrogated her to know everything about the chat between her and Ichiro, but not much she told about it. Shena wasn't giving any information really relevant, so he forgot about it and confiscated her cellphone, in case of Ichiro's call.

Shena, as always, woke up earlier than him, and with her promise of not doing anything without him awake, opened the window and let the sun in.

"It's morning."

He put the pillow on his face, giving up trying to get up, while grumbling, so, Sherazade, with all calmness, got closer and...

"Wake up! You can't sleep forever!"

She could have made him deaf if it wasn't by the saver, dear pillow. Afraid of another attack from her, Mello got up and both started to dress up for breakfast.

In the sequence, Matt got up to eat, without changing clothes. just with pajamas pants, sat down and started to make his cereal. Shena and Mello looked to each other in silence. The brunette was drinking coffee like the blonde. The table couldn't be more silent. Matt didn't even look at her, the view was just only the bowl filled with milk and some junk food that he sometimes called cereal. The goddess didn't even know him. All those days, the fake red-head was always as far of her as someone could, without losing its territory. Always playing video games, talking on the phone, or better, arguing on the phone, sleeping or doing what Mihael ordered. The only time she ever talked to him was in the day they went to the restaurant. Shena was ready to say something to break the silence on the table, but could not when Matt finally raised his eyes to her. He remembered the first time he saw her innocent look, the small girlish dark woman, now totally broken by her half-opened jacket.

"Any problem?"

Sherazade noticed that Matt was putting his eyes on her opened jacket, and the thousands things he could be thinking of her and with her now.

"No, you just... changed."

Mello didn't feel comfortable with Matt looking at her body, so got impatient.

"What's your problem, dude?"

Matt looked at him and insisted.

"I already said I'm fine! Like you never looked at her!"

After that comment, Shena got up, not tolerating their fight and leaving the kitchen. Mello turned back his face to him and started again.

"Look at what you did."

"Like you're an angel. I see where your view is."

"At least I'm confident."

"But you were who made a scene and blamed me. I didn't say anything."

"It's because you had already crossed the line."

"And who are you to put a line? The man?"

Mello realized the reason of their fight.

"This is ridiculous. I have things to do... And you, go check that cameras. I'll be off for some hours."

Mello left the apartment and Matt did what he asked. They had some cameras and screens in their room, near from the kitchen, where the fake red he'd went. Those machines were spying Misa Amane and some Japanese police officers for almost two weeks, but almost nothing they could conclude just with it. What really helped was the wires, but there wasn't any. Mello was with almost all of them. he wasn't happy of Mello follow Misa while Matt two police men. Sherazade came from her room and stood next to the room's door, calm and tolerant.

"Toc Toc?"

She knocked the open door lightly, letting him know she was coming, without noticeable anger. Matt gave her a quick look, but didn't show anything in his mood.

"Oh, you."

She entered, and Matt started talking.

"I'm sorry about causing that fight."

Sherazade didn't stop to answer. Maybe it was just words coming out of his mouth. Sat down on the black sofa and continued a conversation.

"What are you doing?"

"Nothing. Just doing what the bossy pants says."

"Hun… What exactly?"

"Spying. Would you like to join me?"

"Yeah, like, doesn't make any difference. You two are too busy for going out, so..."

He pointed to the screen, showing who he was watching. They were taking, like was nobody listening. Above their heads were their real names, but it was too far from the camera to the goddess read.

"Those two are... or were police officers of Japan and now they're working in the Task Force for the Kira case. Mello was lucky enough to get the cute girl, that he tells it's Kira, or the second, I really don't know right. What I really know is that... she's quite dumb, you know?" Matt breathed a little and glanced to the phone. "No messages… Now he's after one of the police officer from the Task Force and some days ago, shared info with Near. I guess he's more… mature now."

The rings of the messages arrived his phone, finally. It was all okay by now, as planned.

"Why are you doing this, anyway?" She asked.

"You wanna know... the story until here?"

"Yours."

"So... Mello called me, asking me to help him. I agreed when we made a deal and now he acts like he's my boss, I mean, I like him... but I never liked him that much for doing it by itself. For more than it seems, I do have a life, and it's beyond all this. It's not like a normal person... maybe less productive..."

"I see..."

Shena didn't like him underrate his life. He could just say that the important was that he was still alive, unlike most of the humans she had ever known. She laid on the sofa, staring at the screen, hoping for anymore.

"Don't misunderstand me but... why are you here?"

The brunette stopped paying attention to the transmutation and got ready to lie again. This time, the hard one.

"Someone leaked information about Wammy's House, and the fanatics found it. It was something about me, so they're after me. L gave me security after of what happened, but now he's dead, everybody counts on Near. He sent me here...so, here I am. Don't worry, in any way, it wasn't anything about you, even if just God knows what they found."

"Wait, you're from Wammy's?"

"Yes... you must not remember me. I was a shy little girl, so drowned in my world... like I wasn't even there..."

"Like...me... but... I had made much scandals, so people would remember me by the crying boy... I just couldn't bear my past..."

"Everybody there should have different past, one hurts the most...but, I think we don't own it. We've grown up, some didn't even survived the pressure. Just smile."

As she said, he did. He could be docile... and soft, if he opened himself. Obviously, he didn't care about showing it for anybody that didn't worth. Just like a shell, just who really believed and worked on it could see the true value. Maybe even Mello didn't know about Matt's feeling, they didn't seem friends, just distant partners. In anyway he didn't care. Just one million years later Mello would care about Matt's life. He didn't have anything to do with it. If he finished the case, the blonde would go to his way, away from the fake red-head.

Mail got up and called her.

"Shena, get up."

She did quickly what he asked, then, he walked through her, until his chest touched hers. She was ready to hit him and call the worst names she could find in her varied dictionary, but he put his hand over their head.

"You're not little. You're higher than me, even without boots."

"Thank you...I guess."

It was good to, at least, feel being superior than men. Her height was 1,71 meters, and wearing boots with high heels of 8 cm, she could be the highest person of there. Her death god origin allowed her stature to be that high, but in the standard of a human. Most human don't have more than 2 meters, and all she needed was normality. In comparison of Ryuk, Rem, Sidoh, Irin.. she was the tiny tiger of the Shinigami Realm.

By the way, the afternoon ran. Matt was getting closer, without letting her realize. Shena was so relaxed that she wouldn't mind anyway. What made her more comfortable was his lack of interest of her past, and intense on the present. Interests and knowns of the world, even don't minding much about what will happen. His knowledge impressed her when told her about the weirdest and random topics. For her, it wouldn't matter the quality of the information, but the quantity.

"I really thought... that you just played games and slept."

"Hey, I am not useless like this... people... normally think this of me."

"So... you have to show them like you showed me. Really, Matt, you... amaze me."

Matt never felt so proud of himself. Coming from her, any incentive was the sweetest words he had ever heard. No woman had ever told something like this to him. Normally, they would tell him he's a nerd, geek, or just the hardest to hold on, useless. He started to get closer at every phrase they pronounced.

"Shena, you're very different from the other girls of Wammy's."

A failure on her disguise, or just a false alarm. Maybe. That's what she thought, so gave an excuse.

"I'm not a girl, I'm a woman."He reached her ear and whispered.

"Yes, that's the difference... and I want one for me."

Matt sat down and fast and looked at her. She was with a confused and lost expression, while he smikerd. His blue eyes cleared her vision, and even with the googles, could see something that chilled her spine, if that was really possible for a death god. Then, the hand touched her face, slowly petting the cheek. Sherazade paralyzed, not understanding what he was doing. Waited to end it and asked.

"Wh-why did you do that?" Gulped.

"Uh, I don't know." Matt put his arms behind his back. "Maybe to show that I liked you"

"How do… you feel that?"

He took to answer. Surely it was a hard question to have a clue how to answer. Shinigamis aren't supposed to feel sadness, love or hate. Shinigamis are supposed to be killing machines. A population control to support a dead powerful nation of creatures that doesn't even want to be alive in that world.

Mail pointed to the computer's screen. There was a picture of two friends smiling and hugging. "When someone likes someone else, they wanna be close" Matt gazed her confused face. "… And make sure the liked person knows that."

The cellphone rang. It was Mello, asking him to record the camera he had put on Halle before he arrive.

"Are you busy now?"

"I guess we have to concentrate now. Means too much for Mello. I am sure he doesn't wanna know about anything else but winning."

Sherazade got up, and after going to a lighter room, Mail said.

"Ah, and, if Mello doesn't treat you enough, it's not because he hates you. He hates the fact he wanna put his mind only on the case."

Closed the door, and right then, Mihael arrived. And arrived already talking about the case she didn't pay much attention. It's not like she didn't know nothing about and couldn't understand. Contrariwise, she already knew what was happening, thanks to the seeings of Ryuk. A few shinigamis were actually following his human's actions, and already betting some apples and even its own Death Notes of how Kira would die. Of course, not cheating allowed, because they did know when he would naturally end his life.

Waited some hours, until the conversation with Matt was over. The plan would follow the next days, even if it didn't mean they wouldn't be busy half time at least. The shinigami got up from the couch and opened harshly the camera's room door.

"Is it over?"

"Kind o-"

"It'll not be over until I catch it. What do you want?"

"It's not like you are totally alone on it. You may let the others do some job anytime..." The brunette laid in Mail's bed, looking at the ceiling.

Mihael sighed.

"The dogs wanna be walked?"

She looked at Mail, who stood quiet. The blonde seemed hot-headed, so she laughed at his humor.

"Chill out, little princess. You've been overseeing that guy too much." Smirked.

Matt timidly nodded, as Mihael tried to calm his nerves. The woman wasn't helping him get a descent rest.

"Two minutes. Everybody out."


	7. Eastern Constellations

They left the building, and walking a little, Shena could see how the city was big and easy to get lost. Manhattan was a really lively place. Always noisy downtown, making any sleepy person open the eyes and enjoy the end of a big Sunday. For a better chance of the three make the time worth, headed to a better view of the lake on an isolated street.

"Where are we going anyway?" She asked.

The men almost answered at the same time. "Where we feel like."

"Oh good. We'll be lost in here." Just when she concluded her complaining, somebody's cellphone rang. Shena quickly took it and answered. It was Ichiro's voice. Mello looked at her, disapproving. He'd take off of her hands in anytime, by his warning expression.

"Hello?"

"Hi Shelby! Do you still remember me?"

"Oh, course..." She looked at the blonde, that was almost having a mimic heart attack, trying to tell her to hang it up. She just turned her face to the other side to talk calmly to Ichiro.

"Shelby, where are you, after all?"

"Uh... I am... near of the same street you found me first time."

"Oh, ok-" Mihael took the phone, after she didn't do what he wanted.

"Listen here, I am her boyfriend and I am watching you! I don't know who you think you are, but if you see her again, or even talk to her, you'll be in real trouble with me!" He quickly turned the cellphone off and gave back to her, with a more satisfactory expression.

"What the hell, Mello!" Sherazade slapped his shoulder as strong as she could in the moment. "Why?"

"I don't care if you're going to be mad." Mello looked to his watch." He sounded like... annoyance. And don't get illusions, you know why I said that." His sharp voice contrasted with his low laugh, but in anyway, Shena didn't seem upset. He was right when told he was more an annoyance than a profit, at least for her, but was starting to consider Ichiro Fushijima a friend. Mail was just seeing the funny part of it.

There wasn't anything to worry about the scenario. Just a normal night with the usual stars, not so bright and few silent people around. Nobody could be less than ten meters away from them, especially from Sherazade. In anyway, they had their weapons, Sherazade with a sheet of her note in her bra, the best pocket a woman could have, Mello, his typical gun in his pants and Mail, another.

Ten minutes after the call, the shiny river that were walking with them calmly caught the attention of the people. Mello stood to the iron fence from the water and gazed to the reflexion of the stars. Sighed a little before anyone notice he was in an emotional moment, and stated his tough posture. Mail looked at his face, staring at his scar, without saying or showing any expression. It was beautiful place to be in that night.

After Mello drop the fence, a black car stopped next to the sidewalk, without turning off. Inside, a man in the driver seat and one in the backseat. The driver supported his head on the steering wheel and started to tease the goddess.

"Hey, what about you join us and your friend, Ichiro, huh?"

Mihael kept his gun close to his hand. "I knew this guy was trouble."

"Huh? What I'm going to do is none of your busines-"

They heard a shot coming from the group. Mello had shot the driver.

Even with the driver bleeding and yelling, the back seated man pulled Sherazade into the car. Mail tried to hold her by the arm, but he was weaker than the kidnappers. The blonde shot the backseat glass, but when the car started to move, Mail stopped him.

"Are you crazy? You'll shot her, man!" Matt yelled.

"And what do you want me to do?!"

Meanwhile, the woman was wrapped by the kidnapper's arms, being impossible to write their names in the Death Note. The other man pulled the bleeding body on the passenger seat and took the command. Shena, with her deadly strength, held the man's arm until it broke, making him scream in pain and letting her go. Then, ripped off all his face until there was nothing left and bit the neck. He bleed dead. The driver took a corner, and the feral monster on the back of the car made the driver panic and scream. The car accelerated the most it could, and the goddess slipped left and right until she reached to the driver's neck and ripped off his chest.

Crashed cars. Blood.

Sherazade was covered in blood, her mouth to the hands. Mihael and Mail couldn't see her after she murdered two men with both hands. So, opened the door quickly and got out of the scene as fast as possible.

The two arrived to the cars, and there was a woman crying on her car with her son, and the bloody car that she had crashed. There was no Shena, no sign of. They searched all around the street, and all they found was some blood shed of a possible route they didn't have clues enough to follow.

"Mello… They were ripped off like were attacked by a tiger!"

Matt instantly ran after finding the remains of the dead kidnappers. Mello didn't say a word, and was with a strange expression. Something… scary, at least for Mail. Stared the blue eyes that weren't even analyzing the situation.

"Mello! She ran." He put his hands on his shoulder, while he lowered his head. "We'll find, or she'll find us later. C'mon, let's go home."

He stopped breathing so intensely, and with Mail, started walking home.

While the men headed the apartment, Sherazade entered the closest house's open door. Searched for a bathroom instantly, trying to soil the less she could.

"Sherazade, look the animal you've become." Washed her face, but her clothes couldn't be clean as easy as herself. Dried with a blue towel, and went upstairs, for a female wardrobe. Lucky that the house seemed to be empty. The owners were probably having fun downtown, while she was just covering her crime scene with a cute blue towel and a stranger's clothes.

There was a red bedroom, with lots of posters of people with glitter, photos all over the floor and crazy things she couldn't even explain what that was and why sane person would have that. The bed was really big, while a small TV turned on was brightening the room, somebody's name into a symbol with the face.

"Well, I guess I am in a crazy's place." She sang while opened the black wardrobe. "What would happen if I killed some of these idols?" Laughed.

There was pretty different clothes, for a girl. Some black short leather dresses, striped stockings and lots of dark shirts. Sherazade picked the leather dress, that was the less ugly things that she judged and took a shower.

After dressing up, a sound downstairs made an echo that reached the bedroom the shinigami was.

"Oh my God, I am so tired."

A sweet cute voice echoed the house. After some other little screams and signs of the presence evidenced the voice ofa sixteen year old girl. There wasn't much she could do unless hide, whereas she wasn't with the white dress to camouflage, and hell no she'd be naked while there was always a chance to some random human havethe company of shinigami following his back.

The steps got louder, as Sherazade hided behind the black door. The quickly entered the bedroom, and sang a small creepy song and prepared to lie in bed. Karen Denver on her head. Shameful she hadn't any windows for leaving. How would her boyfriend easily escape when he had the chance?

Waited about five minutes to guess she was really sleeping, and not speaking to herself. Things about a guy named Joe, and fame things she'd never had the willing to understand currently. When she started to snore, the woman left the bedroom and then, the house.

Shena took her own lead, and arrived the apartment. Didn't say a word, but the men sometimes looked to each other, still with a really confused and suspicious thought in their heads. She laid on Mihael's bed and instantly slept, without minding change the dress. Some could just say she fainted. They used this moment to discuss the real thing.

"Man. What the hell?" Matt took the cigarette he was smoking and threw in the trash can. "Did she kill all that guys… alone?"

"She's that kind of dangerous." Mihael sighed.

"And what are we going to do about this?"

"Nothing… yet. If she didn't kill us all yet."

"Are you just going to… wait until we're all with open throats?"

"No" The blonde looked at the bedroom's door. "Lock her door before you go to sleep. I'll make some calls right now."


	8. House of Wolves

Whistles.

A tuned whistle sang in her head as the shinigami woke up. The place wasn't the same when laid in bed some hours ago. Actually, she wasn't even in bed, but on the floor, trying to see straighter. Got up slowly, as the whistle got louder, and footsteps started to accomplish the symphony.

"Who's there?" The woman trembled. Widening the eyes, could see some silver pillars supporting the high painted ceiling. There was only a small candlestick burning on a wall while the others where contemplating its light in a small shadow, and paintings of many women and men seemed to stare at her fear.

The footsteps got louder.

A shade from distance, that was firstly paralyzed, started to walk slowly to her direction. Sherazade wanted to run, but something beyond the high heeled boots prevented her from running. Tried to hold the pillar to try, at least, to walk, but she couldn't even feel her hands responding. It was dark, but not enough to not feel the proximity of something big. The figure stood, and a loud roar echoed when the whistles stopped, showing its fangs reflecting the fire.

"Where am I?" Sherazade whispered while her heart ran in the beat of the previous song. The monstrous mouth laughed, and showed its white skull head in the light.

"Is this the way a princess presents herself?" The creature screamed in a torn voice. The goddess started to understand its origins. Rubbed her pants to become something more presentable and toughed her speech.

"So… you really brought me in MU without my consent for what?" Suddenly, she could walk again, a little more relaxed. "For scaring me to death?"

The skull closed the blue eyes, asking her hand to curve himself. "Actually, I didn't have the purpose of bringing you here right now. The coincidence was stronger by your innocent sleeping. It's not my fault if I scared you." He laughed a little more as kissed the hand. "But if we're already here, why would I waste?"

Pulled her hands back just when he let it go. "Well, say directly what do you want with me! And present yourself properly, Shinigami." Walked towards the monster and took his notebook behind his back to start reading. "You haven't killed many people lately, have you, Eaben?"

Hesitated to answer, looking at the fire. "Yes, I did, my princess." Waited some seconds to finish his speech. "Actually, I am killing many people. A lot." The shinigami then smiled as he showed the last pages in black. "But on my own hands."

The woman widened her eyes, disapproving. "And my dear, how could you possible touch your feet on Earth's surface if your Death Note is with you?" She gave it back to Eaben before his answer. "You've killed within 82 hours?"

"My princess, I didn't. I spent three weeks in the human calendar, killing people like this… I had already killed the owner. He wanted to burn it. Wasn't something I could control. I just… Can't." The monster looked at his note full of red names, disappointed. The sadist smile dissapeard.

"Well, so there's two problems here. One, you cannot kill without the notebook. Two, you timed out."

"Yes, my princess. I need to know, how can a possible go back to the Real without Father knowing? I don't wanna die."

"Eaben." Sherazade whispered to his symbolic ears. "He already knows it."

Eaben's expression paralyzed, trembling. Sherazade ordered to lower his head until her arms touch his supposed neck. Then, pulled until it disassembles to turn into ashes. Eaden could have screamed, if he still had a mouth to speak, as the death goddess watched his disappearance. The gray remains of what one day could call a shinigami sparked and reflected to the candlestick, blinding her vision until turn totally white.

* * *

Morning light, she was in bed.

"That dream again." She tapped her forehead, repeating to herself. "It's not your fault, it didn't go like this. He was just exiled!" She saw the window, a little more orange than the black of the mornings she was use to wake up with. "Maybe exile is like death."

Got up, still with her yesterday's clothes, and headed to the kitchen talk to someone about anything. Tried to push the door, but it seemed locked. She could hear some shouting from the room she couldn't even enter. It was Mello's. Sherazade shouted too, in hope of getting attention from someone.

"Why am I locked in here? Matt! Mello!"

Nobody answered, but she knew they were there.

"Please, someone help me!"

Of course, as a shinigami, she could just get ethereal and pass through the door, but would be pretty strange. Besides, if she was locked, there was a reason.

This time Matt answered, with a note under the door.

"Shena,

Mello got insane with the strange things we saw last night, and he is kind of….

Scared of you.

I don't know what he's doing, I don't know what he's planning, but he said that if I do anything, he'll shot me.

I am scared too. Could you please tell me what happened?"

Sherazade quickly wrote in the same paper her response.

"Matt

Screw you and your fear.

Get me out of here now. I won't hurt you.'

He read the letter, and whispered. "Sorry."

Sherazade screamed, pulling the lock. Matt left the corridor and put the earplugs to listen his mp3. As she felt his absence, dressed the white dress and became ethereal to see what Mello was talking to. The lights were turned off, and the blonde sat on the couch, as received videos and screen shots from Halle.

"How can you have no information about this woman?" He started to lower his voice. "You send me a psycho just because the big headed Near told you?"

"No, but L did what you are refusing to do all these years." Halle said, calmly. "I don't have any information about the other kids because Roger died and its all closed now."

Mello widened his eyes. "Roger is dead? How?" His hands supporting his head kept rising until the back of his neck.

"As registered, someone killed him wanting the files." Sighed. The woman was talking slowly. "They took everything about two months after Near's departure. I'm sorry I cannot help you on this."

"Right, so, I guess I'll go after these files later. But how, exactly, Near discovered her existence?"

"I bet Near had already said to you the files L left for us have everything that should be done if he decease.

"So I guess I'll have to bear the li-" He paused looking to the corridor direction. "Do you have any register of the event at Wammy'?"

"Yes, I do. How is this going to help?"

Mihael didn't respond. He just waited for her file to arrive and read it. Analyzed the violence and deceases, while Halle stood talking about how L described the message he had left.

"Hal, there's an increased number of kid's death and nurse records after her supposed arrive."

"Maybe because you arrived next to her." Halle laughed a little. "Near said days ago you were really aggressive to your mates."

"How old is she?" Surprised him.

"Well, L would just put this file when he started hiding her. If she left Wammy's at sixteen, the average age, she is twenty two." She paused, breathing hard. "Mello, I am convinced that if she really did that, it's just because she had already felt what kidnap looks like. It's a trauma, and defended herself with… a pretty well settled emotional control.

"Hum… Makes sense."

Hung up quickly the phone and went to her bedroom's direction. Sherazade, after hearing all the conversation, ran and slid under the covers, as she had no time for changing.

The blonde opened the door and looked around. That place was messy as hell. Her clothes on the broken chandelier, his under the bed and old decoration all over the corners of the walls. Nothing unlike the rest of the apartment, and building. That woman, sleeping like a sweet little girl made everything a little more attractive, almost cute. As he regarded the scenario, sat on tend of the bed and looked to the shinigami.

"Sorry" Whispered. The woman looked scared, on his eyes, remembering Sayu's kidnap, and how she was destroyed at the end. He wasn't sorry for that. It was needed, however, he still considered that one of the worst things a human could do to another. That's why he did it.

The anger wasn't there. Maybe he really didn't hate the woman at all. Maybe… She wasn't a nuisance for his everyday.

Shena tried to keep silent, but couldn't disguise very well if the man she wanted to fool was looking closely to her face. The brown-red eyes of her opened slowly by its own, searching his presence.

"You tried to open, didn't you?" His serious face expression stood from the call until the moment.

"… Yes." No reason to lie. Anyone in the apartment would hear her shouts.

Mello crouched at her side, on the floor. Then, his hands went to her face, taking her hair out of her eyes. Sherazade looked shyly, waiting for his action.

Suddenly, his gun aimed to her head, preparing himself to shoot. Shena stood looking, without falling back.

"What are you… doing?" Her gentle voice broke his mind, widening his surprised eyes. Obviously, didn't fear the shot of any weapon because she didn't fear death. A shinigami could only be afraid of suicide.

"Aren't you… afraid of dying?"

"I know you're not going to shot."

"Why wouldn't I?

Sherazade stood some seconds to answer the question.

"You don't have any reason for that." The shinigami gazed his face. "You are afraid. Why?" His eyes were trembling.

Mihael held his weapon with both hands, but when she touched his fingers, slowly lowered and put in his pants. Then, sat on the corner of the bed, next to her, and started to talk.

"I am intrigued by last night. I didn't even think you could kill someone like that." He looked at his arms. "With only your own hands."

"I guess you are really afraid of me. Mello, I will not kill you… yet. I have no reason to. But… If you still do things like that, I won't leave you alone." She put her hands on her heart, that exclusively was beating when she arrived the Human World. "I hope it'll stop beating after yours is already sleeping."

Mello watched her threat carefully and smiled. "Nice to meet you, too."

Sherazade smiled too, and waited him to leave for changing her clothes. Before heading to the room, stopped and lifted his head. "You're pretty cute wearing that black dress" Then, watched his stylish departure.

Got up, holding the blanket on her and saw the reflexion in the mirror. Messy as the room. Her hair fell followed by the back and chest of her body, and the long cloth mysteriously hid herself. The eyes weren't as creepy as last night, however, something deep in her was all messed up. That conversation. Halle couldn't be more her side, even unconsciously. If she only knew how neglected she was by the shinigami's eyes...

The leather dark dress would probably be saved for later. Sherazade pretty liked the compliment, but she came back to her own wardrobe and dressed up a red blouse and jeans to find Matt in the place.

"Matt?" She said as she entered in his room. He was eating cereal while the mini TV showed again people being followed.

"What?" Turning back too fast, spilled some milk on his sweater. Cleaned with the sleeve of the own sweater. "Oh Lord."

Shena laughed a little, sitting next to him. "Are you free?"

Disapproved using the head. "Gonna have to talk to the boss, but why?" Started drinking the milk again.

"I'd like to someone show me something."

"Tell Mello. Maybe he'll be pissed off enough of these distractions." He stood for a moment, and then had an idea. "Shena, I have an idea."

"What idea?"

"What about you do all the outside stuff that Mello asks me?" His googles reflected the light of the lamp, looking brilliant just like a standard anime guy wearing glasses at his moments. "I don't really... appreciate the walks... the people... the everything. Something you look very interested."

Sherazade thought for a moment, then nodded. Probably nothing could go wrong, being such an innocent offer. The shinigami really fell for that favor, but at least everybody would be satisfied for some short period of daytime… and maybe nighttime.

"But… do I have to study the case or something that he has of information?"

"No." He sang. "Just be a ward, like the MOBA games! Call him every time an enemy is spotted doing something that may be... evil!" Matt said until his exaltation became creepy, opening his arms and widening the eyes. "… While I do the same thing, but online and… with friends… killing others..." His speech lowered as he realized she was just rolling her eyes and sighing.

"Okay, Matt I got it."

Sherazade headed to the dying living room and found the blonde dismounting the cellphone and making a mess with screw, bolts and metal part she was almost sure he wouldn't be able to put in their place again.

"What… are you doing?"

Mello didn't look at her to reply, tightening a screw.

"I'm making sure nobody can track this thing, and be able to call in another country."

"Ahn… and why?"

"Because we'll be leaving to Japan sometime. I am sure everyone will be back to the home town soon." Mello stopped moving the screwdriver and mumbled. "Will you stay here with someone else o-?"

"No, I'm fine with going." She cut his phrase. He didn't seem satisfied with her answer, but didn't argue against.

"Shena…" He said right after her response. "May I ask something?" He dropped the future not-so-bad-looking-as-now cellphone to formulate his question.

"Say it."

"Why did you chose me instead Near's prepared hiding? I cannot understand something like that, and I prefer that you tell me."

She paralyzed, then relaxed the tension laughing. "Would be too obvious."

"What?"

"Obvious! If someone started to search for some Kira hunters, probably they'd search in SPK, don't you think?"

"Yeah, I guess that's right." He clapped a little, letting a little smile on his face appear.

"Mello." She looked more closely to his project. "I wanna substitute Matt." Gave him a big smile, closing the eyes. "He already said that he's willing to let me."

The blonde gritted his teeth as started to raise the voice. "Of course he is! Matt!" Quickly, the call was replied and Matt ran to the room, with more milk spilled on his sweater. "Matt, what did you say to her?"

The red-head put an arm on his head, shyly. "Shena is… bored. I just suggested her to stand in my place on outside's business."

Mello raised an eyebrow, glancing at them two. "Why do you wanna complicate everything? It's too dangerous for her to keep an eye live to the people she almost got killed for."

"We all are almost being killed by them. What's the difference?"

"The difference is that they don't know her face." Mihael mumbled, crossing his arms.

"Don't worry… It's not like everybody is searching. I won't find them, they'll try to find me."

"Actually, that makes sense." Matt nodded, trying to convince him. Mello sighed, waving the hand in an approving gesture.

"I warned you."

That phrase echoed into Mail's mind. Not that he was sensible enough to change his mind just because the man didn't say I was a good idea.

"I'll have to wander the SPK surrounding a bit. Are you coming?"

Sherazade widened her eyes to smile. He understand that was a "yes", and gestured to follow out of the building.

* * *

The apartment wasn't too far from SPK headquarters. Of course, it wasn't next to it for obvious reasons. Some blocks from avenues, that could actually see the address of the not-suspect-at-all building. Manhattan was again, a really warm place to know the society. People from everywhere, wearing all types of clothes. Some were taking pictures and posing, evidently by the fact it was a tourist attraction. Not that a death god would know it. She was worrying due to the photos that were going to appear lightly if caught. The inability of shinigamis appear on photos still remained a little, having an opacity of a ghost haunting a big place. That's why she loved paintings. They were so innocent, and wouldn't be able to analyze by experts if the author didn't see it to register.

Mello stopped in front of a market. Shena looked confused to the logo, without noticing he was already entering.

"Uhn… Wasn't you going to do something by the surroundings of SPK?"

"Yes." He said, searching for the candy section. "And we are. I didn't say it was something about Kira."

She rolled her eyes, as he chose the chocolate bar.

"But there was a market in front of our building."

"They don't have the brand I eat." Took some Hershey's, quickly paid and exited the store. Chocolate was business. Chocolate was serious. Maybe if he was a father in that thought, his kids would or be silently chocolate haters, or the most happy children ever.

He headed to the front the SPK building, at kept looking to the sky like the shinigami.

"Why aren't you… working with him?" Sherazade asked innocently, and he laughed.

"Why would I work with that big-headed?" Mello bit the chocolate bar. "We would agree with absolutely nothing, and maybe… get ourselves killed. I don't wanna be the number one with him. I'll be the number one by myself."

The woman listened him opening himself. Strangely, she could understand everything he meant.

"You're already the number one. You are just are reassuring it."

Mello smiled at her, but soon erased when he saw a man with sunglasses drinking a pink milkshake staring at them. Sherazade looked to the same direction, seeing the man too. He was somewhat far, but she could read the name above his head.

"Ichiro Fushijima." She read. The blonde touched his hands on the gun in his pants, but the woman stopped him being too evident their recognition.

"Do you wanna run away?"

"Yes, but be nice." She said without changing her view away from that man. Had the hand held by Mihael, while he conducted under the sunblind of the building. Ichiro started to move slowly, like nobody would realize if wasn't for her red shinigami eyes and Mello's perception.

They decided to enter the reception, as found themselves trapped by walls. Everybody turned to them, in view oft a scarred serious man and a pretty woman.

"Mello, please, go back home." She said worried. "I'll find you later. It's me who he wants to find."

"Ahn, what are you really going to do?"

"I'll just do it."

Again, couldn't convince him completely, but accepted just because she was looking confident.

Sherazade found a bathroom she could enter, as the blonde disappeared. There, locked the door, while she could feel the proximity of Ichiro in the place. Dressed her white dress one more time and dematerialized. Her clothes would be left behind at the moment. Nobody would steal in a reception. Maybe someone would just give to the lost-and-found. Opened the door, and saw Ichiro entering. He was confused, then looked at the elevator numbers raising. Certainly thought she was in there, then turned back away and soon disappeared in the outside crowd just like Mello.

"Stupid guy." Sherazade sighed. "But really, what does he want about me? It's like my lie is turning reality." She laughed, while walked to Mello's apartment.


	9. Darling

Sherazade, walking visible, arrived at the place. It was already dark outside, something like seven or eight o´clock. Mello and Matt were sat on the couch, discussing. When she opened the door, both looked at her, probably analyzing the stats of her clothes and her tired face. Drew nearer, waiting for the questions she was sure they would throw on.

"What happened?" Mello asked. Apparently, his chocolate bars were already half of the stock bought, as some sweet packages were all over the table.

"I had… a setback."

"How did you get this outfit?"

"So much to ask, and you ask this irrelevant question? Ichiro thinks I am in SPK, that's what matters." The shinigami pointed back and sat next to the blonde, then caught one of the packages and threw on him. "And I can't believe you are already eating these things."

He picked up again, closing his eyes to speak. "Don't get yourself in my chocolate eating." The men created a strange smile. She just rolled her eyes.

"I prefer not getting involved in that way again."

"I warned you about it, didn't I?" Mello was the kind of guy who wants to show and throw in the face when he was right, when he warned, and he told that everything was wrong.

The shinigami sighed. "Just… coincidence."

Made like he didn't hear her answer.

"Is she going?" Matt whispered. Strangely, Mello toughed his voice and gave the promising cellphone to him. Nobody could say what happened. Embarrassed or angry, both were truly destructive as long as the man was emotional enough to explode a whole place.

"Here, finish this. I'll talk to you later."

As sweet as a lemon, a question unanswered that let both confused. Matt followed the orders, using the messy table as workbench.

"What the hell were you trying to do?" He just couldn't loose the opportunity to laugh about his failed project. "A transformer?"

Mello rolled his eyes after shooting a huffy look. "I don't know, wasn't me who were playing with cars at Wammy's."

Shena pretended to understand what the talk meant, and slowly walked to the room and maybe hide forever from that uncomfortable situation under the covers. Nicely unnoticed. Well, poor Matt, who had the obligation to deal with Mello. God knows why he had accepted working with the biggest bully from school. Nevertheless, he didn't actually complain about how aggressive he became sometimes. Perhaps truly feared a meeting with his gun, just like Near almost met, if wasn't by Halle. Perhaps he just saw Mello as a misunderstood teenager who needed a friend that wouldn't leave just because he threatened of killing in his sleep. Obviously, both the alternatives wouldn't be confessed directly to him. At least, not while he was working on a meaningful thing like Kira.

Someday Mello would notice that when he was completing his objectives, there was always someone with him. After all, no social life wouldn't worth without this type of person.

Well, sure the day wasn't today, especially because it was already night.

* * *

The device was ready. Mello was reading the newspaper while Matt tested calling several times to his own phone, that played a "Smells Like Teen Spirit" ringtone. He was actually proud of himself, as it was a long time he had created something by his own knowledge. Not even the games he was completely proud, because when a too hard level was too far from cleaning, the best friend was most times Google. Not that he didn't have the capacity to make it. Just the third best child of Wammy's didn't have the ambition to absolutely nothing he could guess in his current lifestyle.

"Mello, it's ready." Mail looked sheepish at Mihael's eyes, that was slowly replied with a regardless expression. He was actually expecting a "thank you", but the hopes of something like that quickly died with his lack of fellowship. Therewith, got up and headed to his room, probably to kill some people in a generic game as he said in the start of the day.

"Matt." The blonde broke off his path with his name. Mail didn't turn to wait him finish. "Good job."

"Yeah." Let a small smile shine in the corner of his mouth, as he entered in the room.

Mihael bit the chocolate bar. He somewhat noticed how the compliment dealt with him. He had his thoughts about everybody too, but it's something far more complex to read and tell someone letting them understand what you mean, but if I could briefly say, Mihael wouldn't hesitate to ask personal things. He didn't bully Matt enough to feel that he was scared, if he ever bullied him. Nobody outside Wammy's had the guts to ask about that rebel phase of his… That was persisting by years until now.

Mihael lowered the newspaper, accessing the computer. Roger was dead, stolen files and Ichiro searching for them. Probably Ichiro had what he wanted to know about the woman, as much as he probably was the murderer and crazy for Kira. Maybe even he led the people who kidnapped her. The only thing he didn't know is that the kidnap never happened, but I guess that, if someone brought me this information without adding the probability of her being a death god, I would be convinced in minutes.

The cameras in Wammy's house were turned off on attack. "Damn Kira." If it was Ichiro, maybe he could not be underestimated. The only thing that they left was another child from that place, apparently hidden somewhere just like Shena. Mello wouldn't waste his time searching for the kid. Not right now.

Gave up the night, and went to the bedroom. "Hello." Whispered, in the expression of an empty eye. The blue cloistered eyes. The shinigami was almost falling asleep, half open red eyes as hid the Death Note under her pillow. She had killed some people who appeared walking along the sidewalk that could be seen from the balcony of the ones who became ethereal enough to reach. They didn't all die on the street, but somewhere away, like two hours from there in a car, or pretending to rob a bank. However, she admired suicide. It was the only thing she could fear from death. Suicide by a lost love. Suicide by another death. Suicide by anything considered common, in the today's era.

Mello laid next to her, still thinking about the guy. He thought several times to ask her something like that, but the peculiar expression she had already made times before he made this type of question convinced that it would lead to nothing at all. Her act couldn't be more affective. She didn't do anything too bad for this time of pressure. Actually, she didn't do anything bad enough for him to consider evil. Just the threat. He was the one with the gun, but who shot was her.

* * *

"Master!" Sherazade screamed in front of the King of Death. Probably her mates would have listened outside the dark hall.

A big skull head seemed to approach from an unbelievable source, suspended by chains and some arms.

"Sherazade, are you sure what you want?" It showed its infinite teeth to speak. "A gross appearance like humans?" Looked disappointed, even if the supposed eyes were a black hole.

"Yes, my master. I am prepared to give you as years you want to take from me."

A loud laugh came from the Shinigami King, and while the skull opened its mouth, another head started to speak.

"Sherazade, you do know how these years you have aren't compared to my current lifetime. Besides, I wouldn't dare make you live less to make me live more." The inner skull looked as evil as the outer, but the talk it gave was like the inner part of the King. "Even thought the current shinigamis are limitless to kill, they are not following the increase of the human beings filling Earth. My dear, you see how the planet is dying as these creatures multiply."

"Do you want me to… encourage the other shinigamis to kill more?" Sherazade looked confused, without losing the class she needed to be listened.

"I don't have any faith on these damn death gods. They claim to be gods, but don't even do their job eventually. I don't know which society is sicker." The skulls started to talk at the same time. "Dear, being a god for some centuries are intense, but the feel of unconditional immortality is making shinigamis kill themselves. My nation is decreasing and getting sick. My point is, we need changes."

"So, you want me to bring more?"

"My dear Sherazade, I am impressed by your mind speed. I have faith on you. I don't consider the murder count to know who is sick and who's not." Sherazade bent, a costume of respect, and asked.

"Master, what is the effects about this form?"

The King laughed again using both skulls. They were strangely on the same pitch, maybe using the same voice in different realities of the realm.

"As well, the effects of half human is that your body will work just like one born creature. You will feel the sensations, as pain. Yes, I know you'll feel." It waited until the echo of the voices fade. "You will keep your immortality as long as you still killing for your lifetime, just like a regular shinigami. Will be able to spread your wings to move at will, and will become invisible. Of course, any human who would dare to touch your notebook will see you every time, but I don't need to talk with you about the standard rules."

Sherazade analyzed the speech, and hesitated to ask.

"And what about the price?"

The King paused his voice, widening the size of his mouth. That creature was increasingly scarier. "My dear, the effort of doing this to me is bigger than the price I have to require from you. When you return to the Realm, the creature will be confined until its growth. The first lifetime will be half of yours. It needs the eyes, as it needs the power." It moved away from the shinigami and smoothed the speech. "Oh, my dear, you have a lot of crimes against the Realm."

Sherazade froze as he accused. "W-what do you mean?"

"I do say that, if you commit crimes and break the rules, beyond all known of your already committed, you'll be forgiven." He pointed to the big door. "If the creature brought succeed. If not, you'll die, Sherazade. And, my dear, you only may come back with it. Otherwise, you'll die on the portal, too." The Shinigami King smiled with his void of his mouth.

"It's not a price what I will not pay." Sherazade smirked, as it applauded, agreeing.

"I like to hear that." He prepared to put his hand on her head, but she stopped him.

"Wait, Master, may I ask one inner question?"

"Of course, dear." He lowered his hands to listen.

"I am not your right hand, I am not Armonia Jastin Beyondillemason. Why don't you care about the others?"

"Sherazade, my dear. That god is just another one who wants to be in power while I grow. Why would I have any affection of someone who doesn't even have pro activity? Don't make foolish questions." He raised his hands again and slowly put on her head, covering practically the whole body. The white noise she started to hear resonated with her blind vision.

* * *

Mello wasn't on her side. Certainly was talking to that woman again until breaking dawn. Sherazade felt dizzy, as opened the red eyes.

"Oh, man." Got up slowly and looked at the mirror. Her reflexion saw the high black red furred shinigami she was someday. The red eyes lighting the head. The long sharp arms. The bull's hoof and horns. "I was… a real god. I used to terrify humans."

The woman went to the room, searching for someone. Mello was sleeping on the couch with the phone that looked like Matt had fixed. He was open-mouthed.

"Gosh, Mello." She tapped his shoulder, making the blue eyes slowly appear, with mumbles from his mouth.

"I wanna die."

Sherazade took a piece of chocolate and put in his mouth.

"I don't want anymore." He ate it, sitting straight. Looked at the woman, realizing she was watching him sleep. "What?"

Laughed. "I guess you can't handle a night with a woman's call." Got up again, taking his phone with her.

"What? Are you jealous?" Smirked, taking the phone back and hiding under the cushion.

"You wish. Look, I need to go back to SPK to take something back. Please, don't die while I am out."

"I guess you are wishing to go outside alone." Picked the opened bar, not even noticing he was already with chocolate all over his face. "What do you need from them?"

Didn't answer and looked at the clock. It was already two o'clock. Always thought sleeping was just time lost, but fourteen hours doing it wasn't the best set-off.

"Don't delay, please."

Took about half hour to take a shower and dress up, besides trying to appear like he wasn't just like a zombie. When ready, left the building. They didn't even check if Matt was alive, or there. Probably out for some new games, or he'd be making a loud noise due the devices.

* * *

Same way, same people style, but the fact it was earlier than the day before made the place somewhat quieter. Passed by the market, holding Mello's arm for not giving the chance to buy more candy.

As they approached the SPK, a crown started to run to the same building. People with Kira flags and harmful things. They were just civilians, that together, were breaking things in the way, and probably with the intention to break everything in the headquarter. Mello made her stop walking, and watched it calmly while thought. Sherazade looked at his expression, while taking a chocolate from his coat. She face-palmed.

"I guess someone leaked… L… Second L… How deep." He started to walk back, but Sherazade stopped him. "I knew the Task Force was this type of problem."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, I conducted one of them to that building, and two days later this type of thing happen. For Kira's sake!" They watched from the street the security try to block the attackers, but there was too people for that type of security in the moment. "I wonder how Near thinks he'll escape."

"Aren't you happy?" Shena asked, making the question echo in his head.

"I don't know." Breathed hardly as tried to make up his mind. Should be happy. It was his rival. He didn't see Near as something he'll miss. Perhaps, people just see their value when they are already gone. By death, by cue.

As they stopped talking, a shade from the crowd started to walk in their direction. They had already seen this scene before. Certainly was Ichiro again. Mello was already getting crazy about that guy who haunted his thoughts. The worst part was that it seemed a crossover of facts, that possibly could somewhat reach Kira by another way. Surely, he couldn't kill Ichiro, after all, he showed interest for the files. Decided to walk back fast, making her almost run, without noticing that the way he was going was almost a trap. Picked up the gun in his pants.

"Why are you running?" The shinigami asked.

"What do you thing? That guy again!"

Mello found himself in an alley. If he could only change places, the objective would be done. Sadly, Ichiro looked like they were falling in the trap, while Shena had almost entirely sure he didn't know where they were going. Ichiro's face started to appear behind their back. Both turned to them, and Mello aimed the gun to the man.

"Hello…?" Ichiro smiled kindly as he showed his own gun. That guy still had the social and gentle style she met.

"Why are you… after us?"

Showed her teeth, waiting for his response. The man in front of them was acting calmly. Walked some steps forward until started to listen her words. Laughing like a psycho, anyone would start to freak out, just like a mind torture. They were stronger than this. Meanwhile, a shadow from his back created a black pool on the floor. Mello didn't move, like the shadow didn't grow under their feet.

The creature was certainly another shinigami. It was flying just like any other, monstrous just like any other. The only difference from the others was that, he wasn't smiling. Not even laughing. Just standing with his eyes marked in a line like tears. Many of them. It wasn't holding anything, and if it was only following Ichiro now, probably the owner died, or abdicated. Several humans had the Death Note among the centuries, but only a minimal group of people actually abdicated the power. Most of them were pressed by the craziness the Death Note drove, or regretted the impulsive actions taken. Even in these situations, the majority ended killing themselves. There's another way to suicide that Sherazade appreciated.

The death god stood in his side. Didn't say a word, not even widened his eyes to realize he was in front of the princess. Insolence, uninformed, or just didn't want to live anymore. Not paying respect to Shinigami King's dearest daughter was almost a crime. They wouldn't be punished, but the chances of regard from Father were as tiny as a shell in the deep ocean.

"Shelby, Shelby, we both know." His eyes were shining red. If shinigamis could just say when a human being had the Death Note, not being totally theirs. He had the names at first place, he didn't have the shinigami. Killing him in the second suspicion would have spared some tiring time. By the rules, a shinigami can't kill a human who has another shinigami's Death Note. Damn unbreakable rules.

"What are you talking about?" She made like she didn't know anything. Mello stood without knowing exactly what to say. He wasn't ready for him, and couldn't just kill the man he wanted information from. Even shooting just an arm of leg for avoiding his harm and runaway would be useless, maybe too much disadvantageous to risk.

"Did you kill… Ro-?" Mello was broke by a shot in his arm, making his scream in pain. Impulsively, he didn't care about anything but shooting desperately. Took too much time. Sherazade gave up rules and shot him by the gun she hid, but the supposed shinigami stood in front of the human, blocking Ichiro just like an invincible shield. When she realized how it was useless, tried to help Mello stop bleeding. He wouldn't be killed in the moment, as the shinigami knew the time of his death. Pressed the wound, while he practically fainted. He was strong, but the shot could have hit the neck in no aim.

"I will not kill him. I need both alive." Ichiro told her, blowing his gun. The smile persisted on that face.

"What do you want from us, Ichiro?" She yelled.

"Oh, Shelby, I said I do not want anyone in Kira's way. I wouldn't be able to handle his capture." Ichiro spluttered by the corner of his mouth. "Some of you who could lead on a disaster… Mostly because you are all from a hell of a place." Ichiro showed the supposed pages from Wammy's.

There was the fake file she had made before everything start. Shelby Kore, I guess she could have been more creative than that. Mello's files weren't there, thanks to Near's caution. Though he had taken his papers, didn't get the attention to even check if the others would be totally fine. Not that he really cared. In the end, Near was just like Mello. Of course, he couldn't predict that Roger would be killed and the files stolen.

"What do you intent?" The name was fake, but even the Shinigami Eyes couldn't confirm if that was or not a fact, as shinigamis didn't have names or lifespan above their heads. Anyway, Ichiro didn't seem to own the eyes. He was so sure about Shelby.

"Shelby, I was so scared people just like you would kill them all. Kill them all! Kira is cleaning and you want to filth again!" Ichiro exalted pointing his gun at her. "I just need you two to find the root of all these murderers!" Smiled.

He surely wasn't sane, just like his ideas. How could a simple shinigami just mess everything? If she could just kill him, but that damn shinigami who gave the note to that human. Obviously, Sherazade could just runaway and left Ichiro for Mello, but then her efforts would be in vain. Human have problems. She asked for it. Besides, the idea of leaving Mihael alone wasn't appealing.

"Why aren't you with your raging crowd?"

"Oh, yes! And in no time they'll be killed. But I am not satisfied." He stepped toughly just like a little kid asking their parents for anything. "So much rats from that place… Ugh, I have to exterminate everyone."

That guy looked like he didn't know there was a ranking. All those kids, none of them had the ability to try solving the case, much less succeeding L.

"I don't know anyone. Sorry I cannot help you." Raised Mello's body as Ichiro stood aiming calmly to her eyes.

"Impressively, I was thinking about it, but I know your little hurt friend knows."

"Why would he?" That question was almost ridiculous if she was talking truthfully. "He doesn't care about these things." Not daring to even comment about this one.

"Oh, I guess I deserve better lies than that. Everybody knows about him. Your screaming little dead mate told me!" Ichiro laughed. "They thought I would let them live!" For a moment she remembered Matt, but then showed a blond girl's file, not being able to read her name. Surely she was already dead as he said.

Strangely, the shinigami on his side didn't move. Normally shinigamis used to love others confronts, but that monster… Just like he was waiting patiently for that human's death.

"I don't know how do you think I am going to help you." Said indifferent. "I don't have the time or the willing to it."

Ichiro widened his eyes. "Maybe if you die, you'd help me better. Maybe he would help if you were mine." He showed the Death Note. Sherazade forgot she wasn't a shinigami, but a human for the outside. She had to pretend the death was something to fear, just like her name and the Death Note. Wasn't like she thinks about it twenty four hours a day about it. Maybe she should, as didn't have anything else to care about.

Sighed. "Look, the only one who we know is in that building, but you're already going to catch."

"So the only thing left is killing you." Ichiro quickly shot her chest, piercing the jacket. As any way of killing that guy was impossible, pretended to be dead, for his stylish leaving. Maybe he would forget about Mello, as she wished. Stood quiet on the ground, just like the day before, when the fooled guy was staring at her face while disguising the awoken state. Ichiro drew to his body, analyzing the man's face. The head was bleeding, and just when he was going to clean the red, widened his eyes, screaming like he was burning. Sherazade raised her eyes to see what happened, and there was the man, dead, on the ground with them.

Got up slowly, caring about the people who could be around. There wasn't anyone. Just the sad shinigami, holding his notebook under his supposed arm. Surely there was something in that death god very peculiar. Approached, staring at the yellow eyes of his, waiting for a reply. Then, the shinigami gazed for a second, gave the notebook that surely was with Ichiro and flew away, disappearing between the clouds.

"Freak." Whispered to the sky, opening the note to read. There was plenty of notes, just like a diary. The Shinigami's name was Sachou Myndiaills. Apparently, he was here in some centuries ago, with a woman called Elizabeth. Cared about her in the moment the family was dead and she wanted to commit suicide. Suicide…

Sherazade saved the notebook for later. It was a long side-story to read it in the moment Mihael needed some assistance.


	10. Imaginary Enemy

"December, 1912.

The ship is navigating very calmly. Elizabeth is anxious to meet her family in New York. I don't understand why she's willing to move so far away from her farm. The fields were so happy.

Until now, she didn't use the note I gave her. I guess she's scared, or just have a pure heart.

She's talking things in her sleep again. I shouldn't worry about it, she is seeing a very accurate future. When arrive, she said she'll find a black horse cart that's eating carrots in the moment she sees."

Sherazade turned some pages. That diary was very monotonous, telling the lifestyle and trip of that girl.

"July, 1915

Her family is acting somewhat strangely. New York was getting fine with everybody near, but her mother is crazy. I guess she's sick, because she will die sooner than usual humans. Elizabeth doesn't know that. It has a quite break of her visions, and she kept the Death Note away from her house."

"May, 1918

Elizabeth will not die now. All her family is sick, the epidemic is spreading all over the world, and lots of deaths are being registered in USA. I knew it wasn't the best idea to come to this country."

"August, 1918

She just won't recover from the sickness! I am starting to worry about her health, even if her lifetime isn't even in half. In fact, looking around, nobody is respecting the lifetime written above their heads. I shouldn't ask any other death god, but I am starting to get very desperate. She used the Death Note to kill her brother, who wanted to kill her family in despair.

Now she regrets it and wants to end her life."

"November, 1918

It killed her."

It was the last note of that Death Diary. Her reaction was peculiar reading it, while Mello didn't wake up. They were in a clandestine doctor Matt had nominated, who seemed to be the doctor who treated him while he was burned. Probably the product of a super social lifestyle, as Mello had met so many people that could be useful someday.

The place was really clean, for a criminal place. The reception looked professional. There was plenty of people there, just like normal people. Surely they weren't, but how would she judge just by the doctor they attend?

Getting back to the note, Sherazade thought a little. The pandemic from 1918. It was a really good time for her and the Shinigami King. Everything was according to the plan, she created a deadly natural-looking trigger for millions of people die and make her father even closer to absolute immortality. Armonia was begging them give up this plan. He told about the balance of Earth, and how it was going to destroy the Human Society, ending in one more reason why the King just gave the name of right hand, but in practice, Sherazade was the one who encouraged to do unusual things that weren't their problem. Then, the Shinigami King just concluded Armonia is just patiently for his death, in hope he'll succeed.

Knows nothing, innocent.

Sherazade looked at Mello's closed eyes smiling. If only that shinigami knew that she was the one who killed that woman. The doubt of how Ichiro put his filthy hand on that docile Death Note haunted her head for a moment. At least Sachou wrote everything in his own handwriting, and wasn't likely he would tell any crazy human about that shameful relation. Not that she could judge him too, pretending she wasn't in her current situation.

The doctor entered in the consulting room. He looked a little old and very serious, wearing white glasses, medical scrubs, a stethoscope around his neck and holding a clipboard. Conveyed confidence, unlike some doctor who can't be seen in the sun light, in bloody uniforms saying that everything was alright and it would hurt nothing at all. Gazed his laid patient and read his records.

"Ah, Mello. Don't you get sick of explosions and guns?" Sighed while consulted his pulse machine. Apparently, everything was fine. Took off his band from the shoulder, were the wound was to stitch it. The shot hit his scar.

His eyes started to open while both the doctor and Shena saw the wound that was almost healed. Impressively, he wasn't screaming in pain. Glanced to their surprised expressions.

"How do you feel?" The doctor asked.

"Like I have been shot." His eyes rolled. At least his sense of humor prevailed. Turned to Shena, who hid the note in her coat. "Where's Ichiro?"

"He's dead." She mumbled lowering her view. "Oh, and, Near escaped. I don't know how, but in the channels everybody is grumbling that the headquarters they invaded was empty, both in people as in information."

"Pf… Near." Mumbled looking at the glass window. Could see some of the street. It was just like a riot, since the Kira followers created a destructive crowd from every street, in the end, to find nothing at all. "How long have I been here?"

"Oh, not too much. Just two days." The doctor didn't look at him to answer. "You have a quite well endurance." Wrote some description on the clipboard, setting his glasses to the perfect position.

The moment he implied he was okay, got up to take his coat. His back was very scarred, but acted like didn't feel anything wrong with his body.

"Are you really feeling well?" The woman tapped his shoulder, whispering. He nodded and quickly took his cellphone with some Matt's missed call, hiding in his black coat. At least his clothes weren't torn like his skin.

The doctor wrote a medical recipe and gave to Mello. There was just something in case he felt pain, and another pill he had already consumed for scars. Nobody payed attention to the advice of how to apply the chemicals. Sherazade looked to the waiting room, and a small child caught her attention. A redhead girl, between six and ten years old playing with a teddy bear.

"Now this place is a nursery?" She asked the doctor. He turned his vision to the girl through the door's window, without changing his expression.

"The riot two days ago took their parents, as they were guarding the building. But even in the tragedy, she acts like nothing happened."

The blonde quickly looked at her, calling to go home. They passed across the girl, who was really disturbing her mind. However, it didn't take so long for her forgetfulness in the moment Mello started his path back to the hideout.

"I already have the remedies, no need drugstore." He put the recipe in his pocket, probably to keep in there until forget its existence.

"I bet you didn't take the pills on the first time, did you?"

"Let me say that I prefer take medicine only when I feel the need to." He smiled as they exited the place. "And… Did you kill Ichiro?"

She stopped to think. Couldn't just say that a death god killed him for no apparent reason, and that he knew about a Death Note. Besides, how would she explain that she actually knew there was a shinigami on his side without touching anything? She could even try, but the details he would require from her could eventually burn herself.

"Yes." Easy. The feeling of filling a detective with lies wasn't the best of, but would let her live a little more. They were just humans. In the end, they were just naive humans."Why didn't you shot him first?"

Indeed, Mello could have just have killed Ichiro with his own gun, instead of waiting that much and wait for the replies he never did. Could have risked if only was a guy he learned about, like Soichiro or anybody like that, who knew they wouldn't hurt or actually try to kill so quickly.

"I wanted something from him." He pointed to his chest, sighing. The files that probably were in his dead body haunted his mind.

"Well, what?" She was wary about that situation. That talk with Halle… He said he was going to search when possible, or at least would try if it was close. Mello wasn't certain about Ichiro's possession, since he was bleeding and probably not hearing anything he was speaking with the woman about the dead mates and her name written on the line, however, there wasn't anything really revealing. Maybe the fact of her fake loneliness and lack of details from her daily routine because her files were just made on others together. He didn't reply, and remained silent until reach the apartment.

"Where is he?" Opened a chocolate bar kept in his pocket and bit dramatically. Such noise from eating...

"Probably where he died?" She answered. Stopping to think, that was a stupid question, as Sherazade didn't seem like a good last minute strategist. Of course she at least dragged the body to somewhere out of the people's sight.

"I will find him. I need it." Mello changed his course to the SPK's area again. Shena wanted to argue against, but certainly her methods of changing his mind would be just a waste of energy. He was as stubborn as a mule.

* * *

There wasn't almost anyone in the streets. It was an apocalyptic scenario, flags on the ground, grenade marks on the pavement and everything was broken. They stepped on the pieces of glass, that were practically the only noise from the avenue. The cars weren't actually smashed as it could have, so probably the people who lived in the building ran away and were back some hours ago.

The alley was exactly the same they were two days ago, and there was the blood spilled from Ichiro. She didn't see him bleed when died, so maybe he was manipulated after, that would perfectly explain why his body wasn't in the shade the woman had left him. Could listen to Mello's mind insulting her pro activeness of doing everything but forgetting, or better, not knowing that he didn't shoot him in the moment just because he wanted the information. The blue eyes were trembling, probably in anger.

"Why did you killed him?" Yelled at her, closing his fist. Looked everywhere and nothing about the corpse was found.

"He wanted to kill us all!" Shouted louder than his actual voice.

"I am sure he wouldn't kill if he didn't in the first time he saw us! I needed that guy alive!"

"How would you get what you want if you were bleeding?"

Mello drew nearer and touched the front of the gun on her neck, trapping her space to escape. He showed his teeth, and his black pupil was contracted in the moment. Shena looked at his blue eyes, that now were much more colorful by his anger. Could just kill him right now, and eventually almost did it. Thanks to hesitation, that act didn't happen. Just stood staring at his face, waiting for his sanity to come back. It was the second time he wanted her to met the weapon.

"Shoot me." She whispered angrily, and what echoed in his ears made his widened eyes move. Then, touched her cheek with the pistol, making her eyes do exactly the opposite, paralyzing and closing. It was frozen. "Do it."

Mello remained motionless for some seconds, until his forehead touched hers and stared at her red iris, that suddenly looked away, shyly. Anyway, he held her chin making sure she was paying attention only on him, as his mouth approached until reach her lips. A warm wave flowed in her body chilling it out, as the man subtly held her arm making both of them close their eyes by themselves.

Stood for some seconds in that kiss, until Sherazade's push against his body. Just like a hug, the meaning was still a thing she couldn't understand now. It didn't feel gross, but... confused her. It felt like she allowed, even wanted, but couldn't say exactly what and why.

Mello blushed and looked away putting his gun in his pants, while her bright eyes glared at his face waiting for something from him to be said.

"Where could he be?" Turned back to the slit of light from the street's light poles. They looked like it was far away from their reality. "How would someone find so quickly in that riot?"

"I don't know, Mello. I can't answer you because I don't have it!" She cried. Obviously he wasn't satisfied with her answer, but surely press wouldn't take him anywhere. Maybe it would intimidate her to find out, but not in the moment they were completely lost in the case. "What do you want from him?"

He sighed. "Shena, I need the files he had. You know how they kidnapped you."

"Yeah." She lowered her head. The best thing she could do was changing the subject, and probably that's what Mello wanted too. His suspicion wasn't haunting it anymore. There was no danger for him or something she would get into that would get him killed for now.

If she didn't get into trouble with a Kira follower again or anything like that, of course.

* * *

The stairs weren't a long way anymore. Getting used to walk, nothing was a long way, as a matter of fact, just like flying. Not that she could remember when she was learning to fly. Surely, a long time ago, behind the same memories of watching humans, supporting the King or playing cards with Irin. He was really good beating her, but not enough to beat the top ten in the card "table", commonly speaking.

When entered in apartment, Matt was playing an apparently new video game, and there was, face to face, Ryuk watching his moves. Shena paralyzed, running over herself. Mello seated on the couch the shinigami was already sat, making him get up annoyed. Sherazade was already getting sick of seeing so many shinigami faces.

"How audacious they are, huh?" Ryuk laughed when saw the woman stare at him. "I heard someone was nearby, but I had to see with my own eyes."

She acted like she wasn't hearing his insane laugh.

"I'm gonna take a shower." Ryuk followed her to the bathroom. Then, she undressed in the shower and opened her wings under the water for an imperceptible conversation.

"Now they surely can't hear me. What do you want, Ryuk?"

His laugh was __really__ annoying.

"I had to see a shinigami in a human disguise. The need was even more intense by the fact it's the princess! This should be interesting." He elevated his intonation, paused in his casual flying pose. Sherazade felt intimidated by the way he described her actions. He spoke like it was something the others shinigamis would be intrigued if everyone knew. It was truly a fact that the ones who already had seen her human appearance now didn't treat her like they treated once, when the devilish aspect used to rule the vassal's courtyard, but they still had the pressure of respecting her like a real princess, just like the Shinigami King's will.

"If you only came just to see me, you may go now."

Ryuk stopped floating and stepped the ground. "No, what I came for was… These guys you are involved are being hunted. My human wants their heads. Besides, the guy you killed days ago, was one of his prototype. Maybe he'll try to find what happened. I don't want you in the way, just like you probably don't want my presence, or even the presence of Kira in the way."

"Huh. How does he know about it?"

"I don't really know how the police works in here, but I guess the information is getting very… viral. Just realize how I got here."

"Ryuk, what do you advise, by your point of view?"

"Well, princess. I think you should just handle them for not acting so loudly again. I will do nothing at all for Kira."

Sherazade got out of the shower, with a towel. "Thank you for your information, Ryuk. I would like to return the favor"

"I don't need any information about them. I have interest only in their own actions."

"So… What would you like?"

Ryuk thought for a moment. "Do you have any apples?"

"Yeah, probably in the kitchen. Here nobody eats that type of food, you may take them all."

The woman was preparing herself to leave, but she was stopped.

"What's your plan?"

"Unfortunately, these men are after Kira, and will meet him very soon. When this happen, one of them will eventually die. I have to slow down, so I'll be able to create a distance from him."

"Well, I admit it's a good plan, but do you have this power on them? Oh, and from what a know. That guy was exposed, he's more vulnerable than Kira."

"You're right, but I believe he'll succeed. When a similar met him, he managed to eliminate him. I can't surely think this will happen again. That's a blind case for us."

"For you, I am just watching from his side. I'm not going to cheer for anyone. I let you do whatever you want, alone. After all, you are the princess."

The woman sighed. That treatment was strange even from a simple vassal who was doing similar things on Earth.

"No need calling me like this. I am not a princess anyway."

"You are the shinigami's representative, the most powerful. Everyone fears your power." Ryuk said skimpy, and both disappeared, but his last phrase echoed almost indefinitely in her head. "Not that a vassal like me should remind you." Ryuk, before leaving the apartment, went to the kitchen to eat and save some apples, and Sherazade to the bedroom. The men were reading the newspaper, not even noticing the apples that were running away through the window behind them.

Quickly, the death goddess dressed up and sat next to the blonde. Ryuk watched before waving in goodbye she interact so naturally with humans. It was degraded how the Shinigami Realm was administering its death gods. Some died for humans, others were living for humans. None of the cases were better, but at least they were finally detaching to find something to do. Who would know how the apples taste if nobody had ever tried? If the Realm had a coin, probably Ryuk's face would be printed in gold, or in same value in another material. Perhaps apples could be the top cash mover in a place like that. However, it would be just like drug trafficking. Everyone who could buy would be addicted to items like that. First apples, then chocolate. Imagine if they met cotton candy! Then society, bourgeoisie and capitalism would be implanted in a dead place like the Realm.

Happily, shinigamis can't kill each other, from what is known. Killing for food and freedom would be just nonsense. After all, they are immortal.


	11. On My (Our) Own

"Well, Irin. What is happening?" Meadra said slowly, without taking her eyes out of the sphere that showed Sherazade's path, wandering the hideout while talking nonsense to the guy who named himself Mello.

"Why are you interested in her? Don't you hate the way she treat all of you?" Irin said lowering his head. Meadra was bigger than him, and sometimes intimidated him until he spoke whatever she wanted. However, the will of her actions wasn't just to frighten, but make some company while his partner was just replacing him for some humans.

"I see she's doing very well without you, Irin." She scoffed as Irin sat down behind the sphere and stacked some human skulls. Should be very lonely in that desert, in the middle of thousands of outer gray deserts that formed the Shinigami World.

"This is just childish. Everybody around here thought she was somewhat like them, and she's going to prove that's not even close to reality." Irin protected her like he almost agreed the things Sherazade was doing. Meadra wasn't convinced he would just let her go, his pro activeness was way too high for something like that, but… He hasn't playing cards for days. In the human calendar, she was gone two week ago, that felt like miserable years, and spent the monotonous days staring at the starless gray sky while memorizing all the names he had written in his notebook. "By the way, her murder count will not lower for a long time. That thing she create to kill once in a time will handle her crimes and… everything."

"You don't have to protect her like this. She's gone, won't hear and tell the old man." Sachou butted in, carrying a Death Note that seemed to be new. Not that new Death Notes could be entirely visible, like you can see when a super rich girl talks to the newest cellphone in market, but they could smell the ink that had made it his. The written cover "Sachou", made from dying tree's resin. The dream of the painters, as the ink was the whitest, and had the capacity of lasting millenniums, if it was needed. Curiously, the Death Notes generally does not have the eternal lifespan, averagely said by the King, as death gods occasionally lose, destroy or even eat the note for unknown reasons. There wasn't many ancient notebooks on usage.

"Great, even you! How's your little girl?" Irin rolled his reptile eyes. Not that he cared.

"She's dead." Sachou made sure her statement echoed around them. Irin didn't apologize or anything, as any death god wouldn't. Actually, I guess nobody around there would ever care about a human. "And I guess I just found out who to blame."

"Get over it. Humans live, humans die." Irin flicked a piece of a human skull to Sachou's feet. "Don't blame the death gods for doing their miserable job."

"But they wasn't supposed to kill who owns the notebook! How could her?" Sachou yelled, making both Meadra and Irin raise their view to his head, which was marked with lines just like thousand of tears ran from his eyes. A really melancholic appearance for a shinigami.

* * *

Mello and Shena were following Misa again, like the whole week when weren't talking on the phone with Halle, working on the information, killing the time staying in the hideout or buying chocolate bars. It was something almost exciting for a shinigami who used to stay the whole free time with Irin playing cards, and the men who lived with probably weren't complaining about the work they had to make just because they wanted that much to find the killer and put Kira's head on their fireplace.

Outside, Shena wasn't allowed to speak with anyone else but him, considering the past circumstances that led finding the Kira follower and maybe putting Near in exposure. Couldn't even show much attention. Both disguised with long coats and sunglasses, like every normal people who is in the cold. Actually, she was wearing Matt's reading glasses that she found cute, but Mello was dressed totally black. Not so many questions one could make to another, as everything they could do was just in front of them. Some jealously used to come from Shena when the only one who could talk with the blonde was Halle, being practically the spokesperson from the SPK. Real conversations sometimes crossed over the case until the particular things come out were heard from the room at night when Sherazade pretended to sleep. What a shame feeling a competition against a human…

"Mello…?" Shena whispered lowering her head as he pretended to read the newspaper.

"What?" He looked at the watch. Passed one hour they were in the same place, waiting Misa to leave the model agency. Although Mello was doing everything by his own will, he wasn't as patient as he should to follow a girl.

"Did you talk to Hal recently?" She lowered her voice finishing the phrase, after hesitating on starting. One of his eyebrow raised, waiting for some addition to make the question a little more sensible. Maybe he noticed the meaning of it as she turned the vision back to the girl.

"What?" He put down the newspaper to see her face closely. "Yes, I did."

"Hum." She grumbled stretching the coat to change the focus of her mind. He held strongly her hand and started to walk fast. Misa was moving unusually, looking at the map, then around and the man who she was with called the cab to both enter, leaving Mello with no choice but running to the parked car on the sidewalk. Shena just followed him, without discussing like she used to when they were going to spend sometime in the car he wasn't used to drive. Some people would argue by their driving skills because they don't want to suffer a car crash, others because they get sick. Sherazade just couldn't bear his lack of discretion to follow someone by car without being noticed. If only that car wasn't red, or some color that was a little more… discreet.

She rested her head on the window, looking at Mello's expression. Something was making her really shy in the moment, and didn't have the will to argue. They were probably heading to the airport, when started to increasingly appear the numbers of airplanes somewhat close to the streets. If she could only say that has never been in a plane, but already saw the view from above just like God would see the humans, would have at least some more Kira freaks after her just to see if they can have a Death Note… or try killing her for being so audacious in such an important matter like Kira's name.

"You're quiet." Mello said calmly while the streets started to be more stable on the car speed. "Usually you complain more about the chances of seeing us."

"You improved." She lied, and he smiled anyway. Then, looked at the taxi that stopped by some airline park and the people it left.

"What?" He quickly found someplace to leave the car and entered in the airport. The cameras that pointed to them worried her, since the recordings and photos she appeared looked just like a ghost, and a white blurred representation of her human image wasn't the best disguise for a place like an airport, where everybody is tense and ready to aim at anyone who may be a threat to the population. Surely, if they knew shinigamis exist, a lot of people would freak out, even more if the shinigami was just next to them. Maybe not Misa, as Sherazade knew that girl already had a Death Note and her own shinigami, cheerfully walking to a Japanese man with lots of luggage that was surely much bigger than her.

"Misa Amane… She looks like she's getting back to Japan..." Mello took a bit from the chocolate as they stared at the comic scene. That guy, named Kanzo Mogi, was holding everything with some disapproving face. The cellphone started to ring.

"What's going on, Matt? Mogi's in lax." Sherazade couldn't hear very well what Matt was saying, but there was something like he was desperate and surely failed on the job of tracking the guy. She smiled shyly. "I warned him not to let down his guard." Mello grumbled walking behind Misa. Shena stood right behind him, trying to hear the call. "Matt, I'm going to Japan after Mogi. You come later, too."

Matt shouted on the call, then Mello turned off holding Shena's hand again to lead her to somewhere close to the corners. Not even cameras seemed to capture her image in that spot. She could just have hid under that shades all the time.

"Are you going with me?" He looked at her eyes, putting her hand on his chest. That wasn't supposed to be sensitive, but it was. "Don't feel the obligation if you prefer to stay in the USA."

His harsh voice didn't reflect what she was seeing in his trembling eyes. Didn't have any reason to stay in the USA, and it wasn't a big deal to change her location on Earth if she had already changed worlds.

"Yes, I am." Instead of him, she was the one who led by the hand his way, crossing the hall to change the country. "Let's go."

"Wait." Mello sighed and put the hands on his head, messing up. "We need the tickets."

Mello surely had contacts. When he got on the attendant, the woman had already called a bigger man with sunglasses, dressed as a higher position on the place. Mello showed a document that was with a picture of a blond man that wasn't him.

"Japan." He said toughly.

"And her?" The man looked at Shena setting the sunglasses to fit perfectly on his face. "I can't do anything without an ID."

Mello sighed. Sherazade didn't have any ID, as she wasn't a registered person in the world, which was a problem since nobody and nothing could prove or lie something like birth or proprieties if that never happened. Maybe she could have fake, just like Mello, but the knowledge of the need of papers was too far from the shinigami understanding before passing through a situation to learn. I don't know if it's happy the fact he couldn't use the strength and guns in that airport. After all, would be one pistol against hundreds sub-machine guns.

"You come with Matt later." He commanded. Shena wasn't very happy with his decision, giving up so easily. That wasn't typical from his part, but let go. She had a simple plan. Mello left the service desk and gave her the keys to the car to get back to the apartment, leaving Shena paralyzed watching him go.

"So easily..." She whispered swinging the keys with her fingers. Walked to the spot the cameras didn't catch her image and became invisible, walking through every security level to get to Mello. As she ran trying to track him, she could see how nervous was getting to pass everything. I guess everybody get a little nervous to pass through security, so imagine if you are a criminal that is being hunted all over the world.

Happily, the flight was on schedule. Would be very boring to keep waiting hours without being at least prepared psychologically in the morning to stand there doing nothing. As he entered in the plane, the woman followed his steps in the middle of the unquiet crowd after becoming visible again. Everyone got their sits as quickly set their hand luggage in the cabin. Mello was sat in the back of the plane, next to a black haired man that was already sleeping on the window, so she took the advantage to sit next to him while there wasn't anyone paying attention to their surround.

"I thought I wouldn't do it." Sherazade said fixing her hair. Mello stood looking at his watch like was waiting for something to happen.

"I told you to go with Matt!" He said toughly.

"I know. But if I can go now, why waiting?" He groaned, getting back to the magazines the airline leaves for the passengers. There was plenty of images of horizons that people would never meet because they probably wouldn't survive a place like Saara desert or the arctic. Maybe the forest with the utopian waterfall, but with the insects that the companies don't show, would be just a momentary desire.

"It's beautiful." She commented. For a shinigami, colorful and vivid landscapes tend to be incredible, not even having to mention the reason. If only one death god had the initiative to make the Realm a beautiful place, like the ancient times, maybe the humans would be migrating instead. "Have you ever been somewhere like this?"

"Yes." He kept his harsh tone against her. Even if the reason he wanted her to stay was destroyed when she appeared in the plane, that wasn't enough to disobey him. "But I don't want to talk about it."

She just carried on. It's no use arguing with him when he's just pissed off, and no reason would be good enough to make him see he was wrong. Wrong on getting mad, wrong on leaving her behind.

"Matt said he was delaying one or two days to pack everything with your help. Now he'll get twice as late."

"We both know he will delay anyway, and you invited me before... Don't hurry lying, you're bad at it."

He sighed. Her calmness was getting him nervous, passing so many security without a clear explanation.

"How did you make it?"

Shena avoided any more lies, not answering to lay on Mello's shoulder. His eyes widened, but slowly relaxed and put his hand on her head.

"I'm tired, Mello." She cried. Her breathing was synchronized to his, increasing and decreasing calmly. "Can't you stop the case for sometime?"

I guess nobody could ever suggest such thing, resulting in an even angrier man and probably throw away the possibilities to live with the person, but that wasn't the case. He just closed the serious eyes to speak caressing her hair.

"I know you must be tired. Anyone would be tired, but you agreed to live with me, and knew about the position we were." She paralyzed when the "anyone" echoed in her ears. He wasn't supposed to compare her to anyone, at least in her worshiped mind. "I offered you someone else."

"I don't have this option." She whispered. "Who would I stay with?"

"I have contacts. I could provide you guards, a place, anything better than traveling and accomplishing the case." He spoke with a secure tone as his view was on the people that was in front of them, in an average of five or six rows of seats. Incredible the fact that they didn't realize they were being followed since forever by a stylish guy.

Sherazade stood silent. Perhaps it was the best solution in the moment to avoid any social interaction that could become unpleasant. Mello was focused, and troubling his goal was selfish. Anyway, shinigamis don't usually learn how to be a good friend in kindergarten, just kill, and kill without breaking the Realm's rules. Sadly, they aren't toddlers when learn how to survive. Some lucky death gods are told briefly about them, but the most isolated ones are just in destiny's hand to risk killing a human that will end the life of another and eventually save the sheep the lion was going to be fed.

"What's your plan" Sherazade whispered in his ear, trying to get him less nervous and angry. She had a gift of driving anyone crazy, compared to an ordinary human in her same personality. Perhaps if she was a mortal living since birth in this type of society, she'd be the most serious and not-driving-crazy person that I would know. Sadly, for my misery, it's not the real case.

"We are going to install the devices in the hideout I was planning weeks ago. I am not surprised we're moving, as I've already told you." He checked the hour on the cellphone visor and sighed. "However, I wasn't counting on Matt's failure. They played with him, and he fell so easily..."

"Everyone makes mistakes when they're not totally focused on their work. And let me tell you, Matt is just afraid of your harassment." Shena smiled as said degrading things about Mello's partner. "Are you sure you still need him if he proved his work is less than expected?"

"It's not like I have any other option. If he's the best, imagine the worst." He said calmly, but she widened her eyes, then tried to disguise. She liked Matt, but what he did, what he was in charge was attractive to her. Mello doubted until his fingertips about her possible performance in anything he needed, and would do pretty much of anything to have another option but her. Furthermore, Matt knew what to search, even if he failed sometimes. He knew what was in the game, and in Mello's eyes, she knew almost nothing. She was cool, she was great, but still useless in this aspect. "I can't prevent 100% free of mistakes, but at least he gives me current information because there is someone seeing from above."

"I could try doing it." She raised the index finger in hope of acceptance.

"I can't leave you alone."

Mello stood quiet after the last phrase. The woman's eyes widened again, not leaving space on her mind to make an argument.

"Sleep. Japan is a long trip." The blonde slowed pulled her head to be supported by his shoulder. She didn't fight or make any sound. Just did what he said.


	12. Currents Convulsive

"The sunlight here is not different from anywhere else." Shena countered a tourist sign on the street. The avenues in Tokyo were surely different from USA. People used to walk more calmly and everyone walked in their own way. Where they were in the moment, everyone walked the same, caring about the others space and focused just on their own path.

"What were you expecting?" Mello kept wearing sunglasses since departure. Probably wasn't feeling the heat on his blue eyes as the woman experienced again downtown. This time, at least she wasn't alone to be approached by some troubling guy. "Same weather, same Sun, duh."

"I know, but…" She smiled as she gazed the sky. Her bright teeth reflected and the warm flashes of Sun warmed the cold face. "It's lighter."

"Sure." Mello turned to the other way. He was blinking like he was amassing one hundred sleepless nights as the people that was being followed were always moving. Their advantages were firstly, they were in a big team, and Mello was the only thinking head there. Or pretty much of it.

Although he was alone, it didn't mean he could exempt their jobs. At the time people get tired, their precision use to decay. An example of its evidence, Matt's failure that made Mello almost give up of his miserly team against them. And surprisingly, even shinigamis get tired. Not Sherazade's case in the moment. That is called laziness and a start of a new concept of boredom.

A more reasonable boredom.

"We shouldn't be exposed at sunlight, in first place." Mello said smiling at nowhere.

"What happens if we do, mister?" Shena replied in a teasing voice. "Nobody here looks like they care about anything that's involved with the case."

"You say like that guy you knew wasn't from here."

Shena stood quiet. That wasn't the time to complain and argue when she recognized his point. Not a common event. Gazed the tourist point, with all the colors and difficult ideograms, that she was willing to learn without anyone, including Ichiro, of course. One more time, shameful the fact she learned English so fast, but didn't even touch the other languages, all really important for the Human World.

In the middle of so many, there was a child.

Not an ordinary child, but the same child she had seen in the doctor's clinic. The green eyes stood innocent, like she didn't know what was happening behind her back, in front of her face, everything, and the crimson hair reflecting the Sun, together with her plush. However, she wasn't the _same._ That girl seemed taller, a longer hair, and more rough moves. Sherazade approached a little, trying to discretely see the name above her head. Maybe that was someone she should know. Maybe she was following her. Who knows?

"Don't leave." Mello said holding her wrist, avoiding her moves.

"I just… want to see where we could … eat." The shinigami whispered roughly. Mello let her go, and took his new cellphone to call Matt, who was still packing what he had to pack, and delay anything he could, as the laziest possible.

Sherazade took a tourist brochure, opening and pretending to read. That girl who was looking the toys and talking happily to the bear didn't have a name on her head. "I am starting to get tired of so many unknown names around here." The goddess thought. "Perhaps I should just ignore."

"Yes?" The child asked her, looking at her with her green big eyes.

"Hello."

"Do you think Dammia is sick?" She hung the violet bear, missing an eye. "I think she is not feeling very well."

Sherazade stared at the girl for a moment, making sure that the girl who was in front of her really was the girl she saw days ago, in NY, alone. Then, glanced at the crowd behind, searching for Mello's appearance.

"Bye." The goddess heard the childish voice, turning again to the front. The girl wasn't there anymore. The only thing that was in the place was a button, probably the missing eye of the sick bear. Picked up, hid in the pocket and blended in the crowd, without thinking too much on what just happened.

"Where are we going later?" Mello asked, biting a chocolate bar that was probably hidden the whole time in his coat, as always.

"Uhn?" Shena put her hand on her head to remember why he asked, then picked the brochure that was under her arm. "Something next to Tokyo Tower..." Then threw on his chest aggressively. "How can you think in food while you get fat with this sugar?"

"It's not like I had the idea..."

"Where is Misa's crew? Did you lost them?" The woman asked roughly.

"They are still in the airport." Mello smiled. "I didn't expect you to be concerned about her, and the case itself."

Shena carried on. Both waited until Misa and Mogi exited the airport, to see where they would be staying. Mello had bought a red antique car, which would be very efficient as the targets were taking a cab, probably back home. They drove to the restaurant Shena had falsely suggested, where it was possible to see Tokyo Tower in a good scene. That wasn't impressive for her, as she already had seen so many places in Earth and the Realm. Paris, Tokyo, London, Rio de Janeiro. Everything was known and weren't anything but human creations to humans to appreciate. In the other hand, Sherazade recognized that it was a creation she would never think of, much less to execute. Oh, and when I said humans to appreciate, I wasn't counting on Mello as a human. He is so much more than that, traveling to Paris, dealing in USA with the mafia, being found in Slovenia and growing up in England. Call him stuck up.

Misa and Mogi were in a table in the center of everything, while their followers stood in seats next to the door, just in case of trouble. Mello always have to remember that the only thing that makes him safer is Misa's lack of memory and attention to everything that wasn't Light.

The restaurant made the afternoon run suddenly to evening, until Mogi's desire to smoke come. He got up from his sit with his squad, and went to the door's direction, forcing Mello to disguise even more from what he appeared in the portrait some traitor made from Wammy's House, nevertheless, Mogi let the lighter fall from his hands right under his chair.

"Could you pick it up for me?" He said a little impatient.

"Sure." Mello said in a rough tone, swiftly picking and giving the lighter to him. His blue eyes shined against his will, picking his attention for some seconds. Then he nod and left the restaurant.

"We need to get out of here" He said when he was gone from their side.

"But… And Misa?" Sherazade asked after only spectating their glances fight.

"Forget her. I'll fix this later."

"Don't you think we should wait until he forget about that for now?"

They were right behind Mogi, separated only by a big window glass. He was texting while the smoke entered and left in his breath. It was making Mello more nervous.

"I don't think he will forget it now." Mello got up, paid the check with a single note and left walking fast to outwit Mogi and his partners. Distancing away from the point, some black cars started to appear and blocked the avenue, forcing Mello to run to the other way.

"Mogi alarmed we were here!" Sherazade didn't know what to do, so he held her arm and ran to an alley, and after getting into the bottom, Mello broke a building door to use as passage to escape. Everybody who was in the building screamed when they realized who they were running from, to help the police find the suspects. People were too scared to get in the way. Seemed that all the dwellers were mothers and children, as the shouts were acute. Mello was more relaxed running in the place than when he was behind Mogi, in insecurity if he had to make a plan dealing with this, that or both.

"That sounds a little better." Mello said, when the screams started to end in his ear. "Shena?"

Sherazade wasn't the one behind him anymore, but a static crowd which was probably surrounding the woman who was accomplishing him. There was police coming and too much people for Mello to try anything.

The goddess couldn't get out of there, they were getting closer, and while she tried to run in the stairs, she couldn't fly or become ethereal.

"C'mon, c'mon!" She punched the wall while climbing the stairs in agony. "What's happening?" People who was upstairs didn't know what was happening, but surely as the crown would soon amass more and more desperate people. There was no place to hide, and no time to plan. Sherazade always was a bad last minute strategist.

The goddess climbed to the last floor, there was no roof to jump nor fly, what wouldn't be a good idea anyway because if she couldn't even become invisible, also she probably wouldn't just fly away.

"Are you in trouble?" One of the doors opened, showing a little girl with a sparkly smile. "Come with me."

She accepted in desperation, entering the apartment and supporting her body against the door. Took a deep breath, and when opened her eyes to see everything more clearly, green eyes stole her view.

"They were going to kill you before asking anything." That redhead girl said without taking off her smile.

"You, again?!" Sherazade couldn't see her name, and the girl couldn't be an over 2 year old baby to have no name. " What do you want from me?"

"I don't want anything from you. I want my bear to get better!" She sang taking her violet bear to dance. The girl looked like scatterbrained.

"So, why are you following me? Who are you" The goddess turned her face away. She wasn't used to meet things she didn't have any control, even more when she failed in escaping by herself, as she always did.

"Maybe you have the cure?"

That girl was making the questions grown desperately in her head, what made her roughly lose the patience.

"You didn't even start, but I am done. Where is your shinigami?"

"Shinigami?" The girl sat in front of her, who was already on the ground, thinking if it was really smart to stay there in the current situation. Then, Sherazade got up and started talking in one of the death gods most used languages.

"Where are you, death god? Introduce yourself before the princess!" Sherazade said, looking into the rooms. There was one which was locked, so she knocked strongly and repeated. "Introduce yourself!"

The redhead got up nervous and held her arm. "There's nothing here, you don't need to-!"

She broke the door just like Mello did minutes ago, and when her view stabilized, all of the color was red. Red for the walls, red for the floor, red for furnishing. There was four bloody bodies laid down by the room. Their arms were written in words shaped from scars, in a death god language. Looked around all the bodies with details and read the scars.

"At least… they may… be together… now."

"Where is it?" The woman said, holding the corpse's arm. The blood from the scars were still flowing from veins, following the neck, which had irregular cuts. Not cuts from a knife or an axe.

The redhead girl put her arms behind her back gazing at the family carnage.

"I-I didn't have time to dispose of the bodies. I failed." She cried. "But, the older guys are already buried, don't worry."

The goddess kept in doubt. Was the child a psycho? Or corrupted by the power of killing?

"I don't understand what you mean." Her rough voice was getting louder, and the strongest it become, the girl retracted to her lowest point.

"Sh-She… I did it for you. You need a squire. What would have happened if the guys you killed… In such perfect way, were discovered in the place you left them?" She recovered from her vulnerable position and smiled again. "My background is here, just like you did. I trained to be like you, and firstly, how to kill with my own hands." Sherazade noticed her expression getting darker, that girl was no psycho, like Beyond Birthday in his first steps. She was corrupted from the inside. "My family was killed by those men yesterday. Now I am only an orphan who needs shelter from a good human heart."

Sherazade stopped as the girl called her attention.

"How do you know about them?" The woman looked around, rounding like the thought of doubts that didn't match, and for once, she wasn't making everything clearer.

The girl seemed to refuse saying her name, if she had one. She refused explaining everything, if she had a reason for everything. However, opened a gap in the time her big green eyes stared at the woman's crimson eye, like the recognition Mogi had done with the blonde minutes ago, which felt like hours, after running and making the encounters unpleasant enough… or maybe not that much.

"What are you doing here, for real?" Sherazade said keeping her harsh tone. Green eyes, red fur, clumsy gestures and really small vision. Aetha, the devoted shinigami was there, right in front of the princess." Does Beyondormason know about any of this?"

"Do you really think I'd say anything to Armonia? Of course not! I owe my life to you! It's not like the King really knows about it too."

"Aetha, I can't guarantee I will be able to save ourselves if he knows! It's never safe enough for you to accomplish me. Don't you think that if I needed you I'd have asked for you? Go back now!" Sherazade shouted. If weren't by the thick walls of the carnage room, surely the people who were searching for her in the floors would have listened, and made an ambush right there… And maybe would be blamed by all the deaths that made the place red, including the girl.

Aetha fell from her knees to reach Sherazade's feet. Obviously she was hurt, and all her humanity was almost complete, in the way her emotions were controlling her body. Death gods aren't supposed to feel, far less cry or even devote. The redhead was always the most emotional recipient of such weakness, what made the King to be the least merciful with her.

"You have been so good to me, in past years, and everything. Let me make the things right." She didn't leave her vulnerable position. "You saved me so hard, I will save you too."

"Can't you see, Aetha? You are weak. So weak. Almost human, if you are not, already. This devotion will harm, and I have no further interest in you, please." Sherazade wanted to seem harsh, but in the bottom of her soul, Aetha worth her space and trouble. She worth a coin Irin Rinot didn't have, even being a good adviser and legal friend.

Sherazade waited for her to rise over her eyesight. Aetha was too much emotional for any help to be welcome, and even if she wasn't, maybe she was worth, but no her actions.

"How did you…?" Sherazade caressed lightly her hair, which was almost longer than hers. I don't know how is the logic of death god to human being hair conversion, but surely would cost some more decades to start growing up to the woman's length.

"Oh." The little girl mumbled, pressing the violet bear against her chest. "Do you remember… Dunia? The world star?"

"I probably remember the most of it."

Aetha lingered to respond.

"Forget it, I will tell in a greater moment. I think it's not relevant when we have so much to do around here."

"I do, because I didn't say anything about your stay."

"With all due respect, but… I need to stay. I am just a sweet little girl, who needs a good heart. Would you be my mother?"

"No."

"Why not?"

"Because I don't have time for this, Aetha."

"Oh, I see." Aetha smirked. It was real creepy to presence when that sweet girl with a cute smile made this kind of expression. "You don't wanna mess with that human's life?"

"I don't know what are you talking about."

"My princess, Sherazade. Have you discovered that Irin stalks you from the Realm? I don't think so. Not only Irin, but Meadra sometimes accomplish his miserable view of you having a fellowship with someone he could kill in just a pinch of ink in an old paper."

"He wouldn't dare." Sherazade said, indifferent.

"No, he wouldn't. Only for you. But when he sees you, Meadra sees you too. I don't really have much affection for Meadra, and probably if anything goes down, she will be the first to notify anyone, including Armonia Beyondormason."

"Irin won't risk me like that for just… fellowship..." Her voice trembled in the thought of Irin saying anything that would put her in danger. "But take me to the point."

"I just wanted to tell you that you are their interactive cinema, and I am here to help you, or your humans, as you please."

"So, what's your plan?" Sherazade paid all the attention on her words like she never did before.

"It's really simple, and totally legal, comparing to other ways like… killing random death gods." Aetha showed her brand new Death Note, that smelled the best ink from dying tree's resin. "They may only keep track of Mihael Keehl, also known as Mello. I guess you gave Irin his name or something. They cannot hear this conversation, so make sure another human give a sheet of my new notebook, and he'll be free of death god worries, okay?"

"It's so… simple. Too much simple, I don't even know if it's effective."

"The simpler, the better to succeed, but remember it only prevent him from dying by us. Nothing more is secured."

Aetha only smiled one more time, with her girlish expressions. She looked like she have been in the Human World for so many centuries to act like that… something in her soul wasn't as corrupted as Sherazade could guess at first sight.


End file.
